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Encyclopedia > Transportation Security Administration
TSA emblem
TSA emblem

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is a U.S. government agency that was created as part of the Aviation and Transportation Security Act passed by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President George W. Bush on November 19, 2001. The TSA was originally organized in the U.S. Department of Transportation but was moved to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on March 01, 2003. The agency has been the subject of a number of controversies. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... ... The Aviation and Transportation Security Act (ATSA) was written into law by the 107th US Congress in the immediate aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. ... Type Bicameralism Houses Senate House of Representatives United States Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D, since January 4, 2007 Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D, since January 4, 2007 Members 535 plus 4 Delegates and 1 Resident Commissioner Political groups (as of November 7, 2006 elections) Democratic Party Republican... George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is the 43rd and current President of the United States, inaugurated on January 20, 2001. ... November 19 is the 323rd day of the year (324th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Established October 15, 1966 Activated April 1, 1967 Secretary Mary Peters Deputy Secretary Maria Cino Budget $58 billion (2004 estimate) Employees 58,622 (2004 estimate) The United States Department of Transportation (DOT) is a Cabinet department of the United States government concerned with transport. ... The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), commonly known as Homeland Security, is a Cabinet department of the Federal Government of the United States with the responsibility of protecting the territory of the United States from terrorist attacks and responding to natural disasters. ... March 1 is the 60th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (61st in leap years). ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Contents

Organization

The TSA is a component of the Department of Homeland Security and is responsible for security of the nation's transportation systems. With state, local and regional partners, the TSA oversees security for highways, railroads, buses, mass transit systems, ports, and 450 U.S. airports. As of March 2007, the TSA employs around 43,000 transportation security officers (down from a high of nearly 60,000 in 2003), commonly referred to as "screeners."[1]


TSA Org Chart

  • Edmund "Kip" Hawley - Assistant Secretary/Administrator of TSA
  • Robert Jamison - Deputy Assistant Secretary/Deputy Administrator of TSA

Edmund S. Kip Hawley is the current director of the Transportation Security Administration, part of United States governments Department of Homeland Security. ... The Federal Air Marshal Service (FAMS) is a law enforcement agency of the United States federal government. ...

Circumstances of creation and purpose

The agency was created in response to the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and The Pentagon. Before its creation, security checkpoints were operated by private companies which had contracts with either: A sequential look at United Flight 175 crashing into the south tower of the World Trade Center The September 11, 2001 attacks (often referred to as 9/11—pronounced nine eleven or nine one one) consisted of a series of coordinated terrorist[1] suicide attacks upon the United States, predominantly... “WTC” redirects here. ... This article is about the U.S. military building. ...

  • an airline (in cases where the terminal was owned by an airline)
  • a terminal company (in cases where the terminal was privately owned)
  • an airport operator (in cases where the terminal was operated by a government agency).

With the arrival of the TSA, private checkpoints have not disappeared altogether. Under the TSA's Screening Partnership Program (SPP), privately operated checkpoints exist in the airports of San Francisco, CA; Kansas City, MO; Rochester, NY; Tupelo, MS; Sioux Falls, SD; and Jackson Hole, WY; and at the East 34th St Heliport in New York, NY.[2] [3] Private security firms have been approved by the TSA to provide security, but the TSA still claims a right to authority over the private security firms.[4]


The organization was charged with developing policies to ensure the security of U.S. air traffic and other forms of transportation. The TSA says airport security and the prevention of aircraft hijacking are two of its main goals, though it is widely disputed whether the TSA aids in accomplishing these goals and whether the TSA is necessary for their accomplishment. Baggage is scanned using X-ray machines, passengers walk through metal detectors Airport security refers to the techniques and methods used in protecting airports and by extension aircraft from crime and terrorism. ... Hijackers inside flightdeck of TWA Flight 847 Aircraft hijacking (also known as skyjacking and aircraft piracy) is the take-over of an aircraft, by a person or group, usually armed. ...


The TSA oversaw the Federal Air Marshal Service until December 1, 2003 when the program was officially transferred to the authority of the U.S. Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. In the U.S. government's 2006 fiscal year, the Federal Air Marshal Program was transferred back to the TSA. The TSA also currently oversees the Federal Flight Deck Officer program, also known as the "armed pilots". The Federal Air Marshal Service (FAMS) is a law enforcement agency of the United States federal government. ... December 1 is the 335th (in leap years the 336th) day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Pilatus PC-12 aircraft of ICE Air and Marine Operations United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the largest investigative arm of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), is responsible for identifying and shutting down vulnerabilities in the nations border, economic, transportation and infrastructure security. ... The Federal Flight Deck Officer program is run by the Federal Air Marshal Service with the aim of allowing select pilots of commercial airline flights to carry firearms. ...


Criticisms

There have been numerous criticisms leveled at the TSA, usually concerning its airport security operations. The criticisms include:

  • Complaints of invasion of privacy
  • "Show" security that fails to actually protect.
  • Frequent theft of airline passenger possessions by TSA employees[5][6][7][8][9][10]
  • Lavish spending by TSA officials on events unrelated to airport security[11]
  • Sales of items collected from passengers[12]
  • Suppression of speech[13]
  • TSA employees skipping security checks[14][15]
  • Wasteful spending in its hiring practices[1]

Invasion of privacy is a legal term essentially defined as a violation of the right to be left alone. ...

Covert security tests

Undercover operations to test the effectiveness of the airport screening processes are routinely carried out by the TSA's internal affairs unit and the Department of Homeland Security Inspector General's office. The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is a Cabinet department of the federal government of the United States that is concerned with protecting the American homeland and the safety of American citizens. ... Inspector General is a fact finding officer whose responsibility is to investigate charges of corruption, fraud, waste and abuse and other complaints regarding government officials. ...


A report by the Inspector General found that TSA officials had collaborated with the private security firm at San Francisco International Airport to alert screeners of undercover tests. From August 2003 until May 2004 precise description of the undercover personnel were provided to the screeners; the handing out of descriptions was then stopped but until January 2005 screeners were still alerted whenever undercover operations were going on.[16] FAA diagram of SFO “SFO” redirects here. ...


A report on undercover operations conducted in October 2006 at Newark Liberty International Airport was leaked to the press. The screeners had failed 20 of 22 undercover security tests, missing numerous guns and bombs. The Government Accountability Office had previously pointed to repeated covert test failures by TSA personnel.[17][18] Revealing covert test results is against TSA policy, and the agency responded by initiating an internal probe to discover the source of the leak.[19] Newark Liberty International Airport (IATA: EWR, ICAO: KEWR), formerly known as Newark International Airport, is an international airport within the city limits of both Newark and Elizabeth, New Jersey, United States. ... GAO headquarters The Government Accountability Office (GAO) is the non-partisan audit, evaluation, and investigative arm of Congress, and an agency in the Legislative Branch of the United States Government. ...


References

  1. ^ a b "Inside Job: My Life as an Airport Screener", Condé Nast Traveler, March 2007.
  2. ^ TSA Announces Private Security Screening Pilot Program, TSA press release 18 June 2002
  3. ^ TSA Awards Private Screening Contract, TSA press release 4 January 2007
  4. ^ An Airport Screener's Complaint
  5. ^ TSA Under Fire for Rising Theft by Baggage Screeners
  6. ^ 3 ex-TSA workers plead guilty to theft
  7. ^ TSA Baggage Screeners Exposed
  8. ^ TSA Under Pressure To Stop Baggage Theft
  9. ^ TSA Screener Arrested
  10. ^ Airport Baggage Theft Claims
  11. ^ Lavish party spurs criticism of agency
  12. ^ Sale of airports' banned items proves bountiful
  13. ^ 'Idiot' barb gets passenger detained
  14. ^ TSA Workers Skipping Orlando Airport Security Causes Concern
  15. ^ KTNV (Las Vegas) investigation exposes TSA employees bypassing security (YouTube video)
  16. ^ San Francisco International Airport Screening tests were sabotaged, San Francisco Chronicle, 17 November 2006
  17. ^ Airport screeners fail to see most test bombs, The Seattle Times, 28 October 2006
  18. ^ Screeners at Newark fail to find 'weapons' -- Agents got 20 of 22 'devices' past staff. The Star-Ledger, 27 October 2006.
  19. ^ TSA seeks source of leaks on airport security tests, The Star-Ledger, 31 October 2006

Condé Nast Traveler is an American magazine published by Condé Nast Publications, started in 1987, specializing in travel, principally recreational for tourism, but also for business travellers. ... Todays San Francisco Chronicle was founded in 1865 as The Daily Dramatic Chronicle by teenage brothers Charles de Young and Michael H. de Young. ... (Redirected from 17 November) November 17 is also the name of a Marxist group in Greece. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... The Seattle Times is the leading daily newspaper in Seattle, Washington, United States. ... October 28 is the 301st day of the year (302nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 64 days remaining. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... The Star-Ledger is the leading newspaper in New Jersey. ... October 27 is the 300th day of the year (301st in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 65 days remaining. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... October 31 is the 304th day of the year (305th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 61 days remaining. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ...

External links

 v • d • e 
Agencies under the United States Department of Homeland Security		 United States Department of Homeland Security Seal
Coast Guard • National Cyber Security Division • Environmental Measurements Laboratory • Immigration and Customs Enforcement • Citizenship and Immigration Services • Customs and Border Protection • Federal Emergency Management Agency • Federal Law Enforcement Training Center • Secret Service • Office of State and Local Government Coordination and Preparedness • Transportation Security Administration • National Communications System

  Results from FactBites:
 
Transportation Security Administration (1076 words)
TSA issued the existing standard in June 2002, which requires private charter operators using aircraft with a maximum certificated takeoff weight of 95,000 pounds or more, to ensure that passengers and their carry-on baggage are screened prior to boarding.
TSA is amending the rule to adopt an international standard, and so now private charter operations in aircraft with a maximum certificated takeoff weight greater than 45,500 kg (100,309.3 pounds), or with a passenger seating configuration of 61 or more will be subject to this rule.
TSA is establishing a new compliance date for operators of these aircraft, in order to provide them sufficient time to develop procedures required by this rule and the security program.
Transportation Security Administration (350 words)
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) was created in response to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 as part of the Aviation and Transportation Security.
TSA was originally a part of the Department of Transportation, but was moved to the Department of Homeland Security in March 2003.
In February 2002, TSA assumed responsibility for security at the nation's airports and by the end of the year had deployed a federal work force to meet challenging Congressional deadlines for screening all passengers and baggage.
  More results at FactBites »


 

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