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EspañolTRANSPORTATION SECURITY ADMINISTRATION
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 numerous controversies and heavy criticism. The TSA does not allow Transportation Security Officers (Screeners) an independent appeal to disciplinary actions by an independent appeal body such as the U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB). Generally, officers and employees in the Department of Homeland Security all have a right to an independent appeal to the MSPB.
Organization
The TSA is a component of the Department of Homeland Security and is responsible for security of the nation's transportation systems, headed as of 2007 by Edmund "Kip" Hawley. With state, local and regional partners, the TSA oversees security for highways, railroads, buses, mass transit systems, ports, and 450 U.S. airports. Some airports, including San Francisco International Airport and Sioux Falls Regional Airport, utilizes private security under contract with TSA for screening of baggage and passengers. 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 "TSOs", formerly referred to as screeners.
The starting salary for a US-based Transportation Security Officer (TSO) (Screener) is '23,836.00 - 35,754.00 USD' per year, according to a USAJOBS career search. According to a sample job posting, "Work schedules will consist of part-time employment of '16-25 hours per week'." At the time of the search (05-SEP-2007) there were 146 job openings listed in the Compliance Inspection/support Positions section for the US alone.
In July 2007, the TSA announced it would be providing new uniforms for its airport officers.
Budget and Funding
For the United States Government's fiscal year of 2007 an amount of '$4,751,580,000 (4.7 billion)' U.S. Dollars was appropriated for use (specifically for civil aviation security services) by the TSA during the fiscal year. In layman's terms this means that over 4.7 billion dollars was set aside to be used by the TSA. This appropriation was proposed in House Bill HR 5441 and was signed into public law as Public Law 109-295.
Circumstances of creation and purpose
While the Transportation Security Agency is responsible for security in all modes of transportation including aviation, rail, highways and pipelines, the vast majority of its resources are dedicated to aviation security.
The agency was created in response to the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and The Pentagon.
Before its creation, security screening was operated by private companies which had contracts with either:
★ 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 screening has 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; Key West, FL; and Jackson Hole, WY; and at the East 34th St Heliport in New York, NY.[1] [2] Private security firms have been approved by the TSA to provide security, but under the authority of the TSA.[3]
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.
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".
TSA luggage locks
The TSA requires access to air passengers' luggage for security screening in the USA, sometimes without the passenger being present. To allow luggage to be locked for protection against theft, the TSA has approved certain locks, identified by a logo on the locks. TSA personnel can open and relock these locks with tools and information supplied by the lock manufacturers. Luggage locked with other types of lock may be forced open. Various forms of padlock, lockable straps, and luggage with built-in locks are available. Some locks indicate that they have been opened by the TSA.
A number of manufacturers produce TSA-compliant locks. Several have joined together to use the special Travel Sentry Approved mark on baggage that meets the requirements of the TSA[1]. Safe Skies manufacture their own approved locks. The technology behind the TSA lock is protected by . As of 2007 a Patent Infringement lawsuit has been filed against Travel Sentry by the patent holder.
Luggage locks references
★ TSA Recognized Baggage Locks
★ The Screening Experience
★ Real protection or extra hassle: Should you lock your luggage?
★ Lawsuit filed Against Travel Sentry
Criticisms and Scandals
Criticisms
There have been numerous criticisms leveled at the TSA, usually concerning its airport security operations. The criticisms include:
★ Complaints of invasion of privacy[4][5][6]
★ Engaging in security theater[7][8]
★ Frequent theft of airline passenger possessions by TSA employees[9][10][11][12][13][14][15]
★ Lavish spending by TSA officials on events unrelated to airport security[16]
★ Sales of items collected from passengers[17]
★ TSA employees skipping security checks[18][19]
★ Wasteful spending in its hiring practices Inside Job: My Life as an Airport Screener
★ Numerous employees found sleeping on the job[20][21][22][23]
★ Failure to use good judgment and common sense[24][24]
★ TSA attempt to deny basic worker protection to certain employees rebuffed by MSPB, see Legal Cite 101 M.S.P.R. 564 Decisio# 2006 MSPB 95 April 21, 2006 Blunk and Coleman, Docket Number SF-0752-04-0846-I-1
Scandals
Covert security test failures
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.
A report by the Inspector General found that TSA officials had collaborated with Covenant Aviation Security at San Francisco International Airport to alert screeners of undercover tests. From August 2003 until May 2004, precise descriptions 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.[26]
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.[27][28] Revealing the results of covert tests is against TSA policy, and the agency responded by initiating an internal probe to discover the source of the leak.[29]
In July 2007, The ''Times Union'' of Albany, New York reported that TSA screeners at Albany International Airport failed multiple covert security tests conducted by the TSA, including the failure to detect a fake bomb.[30]
Hard drive with employee records lost
On May 4, 2007, the ''Associated Press'' reported that a computer hard drive containing Social Security numbers, bank data, and payroll information for about 100,000 employees had been lost from TSA headquarters. Kip Hawley sent a letter to TSA employees alerting them to news of the missing hard drive and apologizing for the loss. The agency stated that it did not know whether the drive was lost or stolen but said that it has asked the FBI to investigate.[31]
Ryan Bird incident
In late September 2006, airline passenger Ryan Bird was detained by TSA employees for writing "Kip Hawley is an idiot" on a plastic bag containing his toiletries. Bird wrote the comment to protest the rule the TSA had recently enacted requiring all airline passengers to store any liquid and gel items in their carry-on luggage in clear, plastic baggies. Bird was detained by the TSA for nearly half an hour before being released. His account of the incident on FlyerTalk.com produced 83,000 hits within a couple of days, and the incident made national news. [32]
References
1. TSA Announces Private Security Screening Pilot Program, TSA press release 18 June 2002
2. TSA Awards Private Screening Contract, TSA press release 4 January 2007
3. An Airport Screener's Complaint
4. US Eases Patdown Policy for Air Travelers
5. Plan to Snoop on Fliers Takes Intrusion to New Heights
6. Phoenix Airport to Test X-ray Screening
7. False Security
8. TSA, Bullies at the Airport
9. TSA Under Fire for Rising Theft by Baggage Screeners
10. 3 ex-TSA workers plead guilty to theft
11. TSA Baggage Screeners Exposed
12. TSA Under Pressure To Stop Baggage Theft
13. TSA Screener Arrested
14. Airport Baggage Theft Claims
15. 10News Exclusive: Are TSA Employees Stealing?
16. Lavish party spurs criticism of agency
17. Sale of airports' banned items proves bountiful
18. TSA Workers Skipping Orlando Airport Security Causes Concern
19. KTNV (Las Vegas) investigation exposes airport employees bypassing security (YouTube video)
20. TSA fires screener caught sleeping in Seattle
21. Report: Air Marshal Caught Sleeping on Flight
22. Security screener suspended for sleeping
23. TSA Has Fired 112 Honolulu Employees Since 2002
24.
25.
26. San Francisco International Airport Screening tests were sabotaged, ''San Francisco Chronicle'', 17 November 2006
27. Airport screeners fail to see most test bombs, ''The Seattle Times'', 28 October 2006
28. Screeners at Newark fail to find 'weapons' -- Agents got 20 of 22 'devices' past staff. ''The Star-Ledger'', 27 October 2006.
29. TSA seeks source of leaks on airport security tests, ''The Star-Ledger'', 31 October 2006
30. Fake Bomb Eludes Airport Test
31. TSA Computer Hard Drive Missing
32. 'Idiot' Barb Gets Passenger Detained
See also
★ Canadian Air Transport Security Authority
External links
★ Transportation Security Administration
★ Contact Information
★ Reports on TSA, Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General
★ TSA's List of Permitted and Prohibited Items
★ Yahoo! News: Aviation Security
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