Transportation Security Administration
Encyclopedia
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security
that exercises authority over the safety and security of the traveling public in the United States.
The TSA was created as part of the Aviation and Transportation Security Act
, sponsored by Don Young
in the United States House of Representatives
and Ernest Hollings
in the Senate
, passed by the 107th U.S. Congress
, and signed into law by President George W. Bush
on . Originally part of the United States Department of Transportation
, the TSA was moved to the Department of Homeland Security
on .
John S. Pistole
is the fifth TSA Administrator, having replaced former head Kip Hawley
.
, was nominated by President Bush on December 10, 2001, and confirmed by the Senate the following January. The agency's proponents, including Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta
, argued that an only single federal agency would better protect air travel than the private companies who operated under contract to single airlines or groups of airlines that used a given terminal facility.
The organization was charged with developing policies to protect U.S. transportation, especially in airport security
and the prevention of aircraft hijacking
.
With state
, local, and regional partners, the TSA oversees security for highways, railroads, buses, mass transit systems, pipelines, port
s. However, the bulk of the TSA's efforts are in aviation security. The TSA is solely responsible for screening passengers and checked and carry-on baggage at 450 U.S. airports.
It also works with local police and other law enforcement official to reduce baggage theft in many airports. In Las Vegas in summer 2007, a sting operation
caught two airport employees stealing weapons. However, the TSA does not, as a matter of policy, share baggage theft reports with local police departments.
Private screening did not disappear under the TSA, which allows airports to opt out of federal screening and hire firms to do the job instead. Such firms must still get TSA approval under its Screening Partnership Program (SPP) and follow TSA procedures. Among the U.S. airports with privately operated checkpoints are San Francisco International Airport
; Kansas City International Airport
; Greater Rochester International Airport
; Tupelo Regional Airport
; Key West International Airport
; Charles M. Schulz – Sonoma County Airport; and Jackson Hole Airport
.
Among the types of TSA employees are:
The TSA also oversees the Federal Flight Deck Officer program, which gives some pilots permission to carry firearms in the cockpit as a defense against hijackers.
TSA has had five administrators. They are John Magaw
(2002), Admiral James Loy
(2002–2003), Rear Admiral David M. Stone (2003–2005), Kip Hawley
(2005–2009) and most recently John Pistole (2010–). Current Deputy Administrator Gale Rossides served as TSA's Acting Administrator from early 2009 until Pistole's confirmation in the summer of 2010.
The salary for a TSO is currently $25,518 to $38,277 per year, not including locality pay (contiguous 48 states) or cost of living allowance
(COLA) in Hawaii and Alaska. A handful of airports also have a retention bonus of up to 35%. Employees receive an annual uniform allowance and public transportation vouchers upon request. Employees are also eligible for medical, dental and vision benefits along with a federal retirement and pension plan.
The agency has sanctioned two companies to make padlock
s, lockable straps, and luggage with built-in locks that can be opened and relocked by tools and information supplied by the lock manufacturers. These are Travel Sentry
and Safe Skies Locks. TSA agents have these tools, as do certain authorized security agencies such as UK Customs.
TSA agents sometimes fail to replace locks or close them properly. Passengers who find their TSA-approved locks missing can file a claim with form SF-95.
s with toner cartridge
s filled with explosives were discovered on separate cargo planes, the U.S. prohibited passengers from carrying certain printer cartridges on flights. The TSA said it would ban toner and ink cartridge
s weighing over 16 ounces (453 grams) from all passenger flights. U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano
said the ban would apply to both carry-on bags and checked bags on domestic and international flights in-bound to the U.S. PC Magazine
opined that the ban would not affect average travelers, whose toner cartridges are generally lighter, but would affect the importing of laser printer supplies, as many laser toner cartridges weigh well in excess of a pound.
and millimeter wave detection machines at airports that allow security officers to detect both metal and non-metal weapons hidden underneath passengers' clothing. The agency also modified its existing pat-down procedures to allow officers to more thoroughly check areas on the body such as waistbands, groin, and inner thigh.
As of November 23, the new procedures were implemented at all U.S. airports, with many having added the new Advanced Imaging Technology, or AIT, units. Passengers who enter the AIT unit are directed to hold their hands above their heads for a few seconds while front and back images are created. These images are displayed only to a TSA officer in a remote, secured room. The officer viewing the images cannot see the passengers in person, and the officers screening the passengers cannot see the images. The images are then reviewed for various materials, which typically takes on average 10–15 seconds, then discarded. While the machines can be capable of storing images, the manufactures disable these features prior to delivering them to the TSA. In February 2011, the TSA began testing new software on the millimeter wave machines already used at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport that automatically detects potential threats on a passenger without the need for having an officer review actual images. Instead, one generic figure is used for all passengers and small yellow boxes are placed on areas of the body requiring additional screening.
Passengers who have an anomaly on their person at the AIT unit, decline to go through the AIT unit, or who alarm the metal detector are referred for additional screening, which will include a physical search to resolve or detect any concealed items. All physical searches are conducted by a TSA officer of the passenger's gender, and can be done in a private room if requested, and the passenger may have a witness present as well.
TSA officials said they created the measures in reaction to the "underwear bomber" who smuggled plastic explosives onto an airplane in Amsterdam
in December 2009.
TSA officials have declined to provide specific details of the pat-down procedures, as they are classified as Sensitive Security Information. The public learned about the extent of the searches from passengers who posted their stories on the Internet, and news reports providing what information they have.
To prevent potential terrorists from probing the security system, U.S. federal law prohibits passengers from withdrawing from the screening process after it begins, thus passengers who decline any secondary screening (including a pat-down search) are considered to be refusing the screening process and can be subject to civil penalties and will not be permitted to board the aircraft. A person though still has the right to refuse any primary search and leave the airport before the screening process has begun.
On November 23, 2010, TSA officials said that some high-ranking US government officials were being allowed to bypass some security procedures if they were traveling with government bodyguards and escorts. Among the officials are executive-branch leaders such as Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and FBI Director Robert Mueller
and congressional leaders
such as Republican
Speaker of the House
John Boehner
. Law-enforcement officials are also allowed to bypass the screening process if they are traveling armed, have the appropriate paperwork, and have completed a training course by TSA.
and American Airlines
, allowed selected members of the Delta Skymiles and American Advantage frequent flyer programs, along with members of Global Entry
, NEXUS
and SENTRI to receive expedited screening. Those selected members from the Delta Skymiles and American Advantage programs must be US citizens and provide the airline, who provides TSA, additional information about themselves. Global Entry
, NEXUS and SENTRI members must be US citizens and include their Customs and Border Protection identification number on their reservation to receive expedited screening. If approved for expedited screening, it is embedded in the barcode on the boarding pass and the passenger is directed to the expedited screening line by the TSA document officer.
For those who are flying American Airlines
, it is available for those departing from Dallas-Ft. Worth International Airport and Miami International Airport
. For passengers who are flying Delta Air Lines
, it is available for those departing from Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County and Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.
TSA has said that they will incorporate random and unpredictable security measures and no individual would be guaranteed expedited screening. If the pilot is successful, TSA plans on expanding it to other airlines and airports.
emitted by backscatter X-rays, and fear being exposed to a "dangerous level of radiation if they get backscattered too often". The backscatter X-ray emits a type of ionizing radiation
that damages chemical bond
s. Ionizing radiation is considered a non-threshold carcinogen
, but it is difficult to quantify the risk of low radiation exposures.
While the most recent studies have deemed the radition risk from AIT units to be trivial, some physicians have voiced concerns about the radiation emitted by the scanners. Dr. Otis Brawley, chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society
told CNN
that he "takes a pat-down instead of going through a scanner when he travels" because he is "concerned about whether the machines are calibrated and inspected properly." Brawley's deputy, Dr. Len Lichtenfeld, does "whatever [he] can to avoid the scanner," since he is "concerned about the cumulative effect of the radiation": Dr. Dong Kim, chair of the department of neurosurgery
at the University of Texas Medical School
and neurosurgeon for Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords
, stated that "[t]here is really no absolutely safe dose of radiation. Each exposure is additive, and there is no need to incur any extra radiation when there is an alternative." Dr. Andrew Weil
agreed, saying that "All radiation exposure adds to the cumulative total you've received over your lifetime. Cancer
risks correlate with that number, so no dose of radiation is too small to matter."
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) created a webpage providing backscatter X-ray scan safety information. However, biochemist
s and biophysicists at the University of California, San Francisco
, in a May 2010 letter to the head of the TSA, raised concerns about the validity of indirect comparisons the FDA used in evaluating backscatter x-ray machine safety, asking that additional data be made public. When the much-redacted report was made public, the same UCSF biophysicists objected in an April 2011 letter that the data could not be independently verified and called for the use of readily-available alternate technologies in preference to backscatter x-ray scanning, which they continue to maintain is dangerous.
petitioned the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals for review of three DHS actions— one failure to act, one agency Order, and one agency Rule—of the TSA, a DHS component. The Petitioners filed a motion for emergency stay, urging the Court to shut down the program as soon as possible in order to prevent irreparable harm to American travelers. On July 15, 2010, the federal agency opposed the motion. On July 20, 2010, EPIC filed a reply to the opposition. On September 1, 2010, the Court ordered the motion be denied, and set out the briefing schedule.
On November 1, 2010, EPIC filed its opening brief, arguing that the DHS "has initiated the most sweeping, the most invasive, and the most unaccountable suspicionless search of American travelers in history." EPIC further argued that the TSA "must comply with relevant law, and it must not be permitted to engage in such a fundamental change in agency practice without providing the public the opportunity to express its views."
On November 5, 2010, the Department of Homeland Security moved to exclude religious objector Nadhira Al-Khalili from the lawsuit. Ms. Al-Khalili is Legal Counsel for the Council on American Islamic Relations, one of the organizations that supported EPIC's petition, which is the basis for the challenge to the body scanner program. Ms. Al-Khalili's claims are based on the Religious Freedom Restoration Act and Islamic modesty requirements. EPIC opposed the government's motion and stated that the agency is "simply afraid to have the Religious Freedom Restoration Act claims heard by this Court." EPIC further argued that "Respondents hope by seeking to exclude Ms. Al- Khalili . . . they will avoid judicial scrutiny of an agency practice that substantially burdens the free exercise of religion in violation of federal law."
On December 23, 2010, Respondent DHS filed its answer brief, again urging the Court to exclude Nadhira al-Khalili as a religious objector in the suit. Respondents also asserted that the body scanner program was not substantial enough of a change in agency policy to constitute a "rule" under the Administrative Procedures Act. EPIC has previously argued that the body scanner program is "the single most significant change in air traveler screening in the United States since the creation of the agency," adding that the agency has considered far less significant changes to be rules, including policies relating to butane lighters and transportation worker identity documents.
On January 6, 2011, EPIC filed a reply brief, arguing that "the TSA has acted outside of its regulatory authority and with profound disregard for the statutory and constitutional rights of air travelers, the agency’s rule should be set aside and further deployment of the body scanners should be suspended." On the same day, EPIC hosted a one-day public conference "The Stripping of Freedom: A Careful Scan of TSA Security Procedures" in Washington, DC. Oral Argument in the case is scheduled for March 10, 2011.
On March 11, 2011 in the DC Court of Appeal lawyers for DHS and TSA alleged the TSA agents believe to have the legal authority from Congress to strip search every air traveler. In addition to replacing local security screening at airports TSA has invested millions of dollars in mobile strip search machines for use at railroads, stadiums, courthouses, etc. in an effort to replace local police.
On May 13, 2011 Texas House Bill 1937 that would make it a misdemeanor offense for a federal security agent to "intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly [touch] the anus, sexual organ, buttocks, or breast of the other person, including touching through clothing, or touching the other person in a manner that would be offensive to a reasonable person" passed the House unanimously 138-0. U.S. Attorney John E. Murphy warned against its passing the Senate because the TSA would "likely be required to cancel any flight … for which it could not ensure the safety of passengers and crew."
as security theater
.
Criticisms have also included assertions that TSA employees slept on the job, bypassed security checks, and failed to use good judgment and common sense.
TSA agents were also accused of having mistreated passengers, and having sexually harassed passengers, having used invasive screening procedures, including touching the genitals of children, removing nipple rings with pliers, having searched passengers or their belongings for items other than weapons or explosives, and having stolen from passengers.
The TSA was also accused of having profited by selling banned items collected from passengers, having spent lavishly on events unrelated to airport security, having wasted money in hiring, and having had conflicts of interest
.
The “Terror Watch List
” had more than one million names, including the name of a CNN
reporter who claims he was added to the terror list while he was reporting critically on the Federal Air Marshal Service. According to the TSA, the watch list, which is maintained by the U.S. Department of Justice, contains about 400,000 people, most of whom are not US persons. The TSA list contains some US citizens incorrectly flagged as suspicious, notably Michael Winston Hicks of Clifton, NJ, at eight years old (in 2010), despite attempts as early as the age of two by his family to have him removed . The TSA denies Drew Griffin's claim that he is on the list. The TSA reacted to complaints of misidentification by saying it would fine airlines $25,000 for wrongfully informing a traveler that he or she is on a government watchlist.
The TSA was accused of having performed poorly at the 2009 Presidential Inauguration viewing areas, which left thousands of ticket holders excluded from the event in overcrowded conditions, while those who had arrived before the checkpoints were in place avoided screening altogether.
researchers have found that strict airport security has the unintended consequence of increasing road fatalities, as would-be air travelers decide to drive and are exposed to the far greater risk of dying in a car accident.
In 2005, the researchers looked at the immediate aftermath of the attacks of September 11, 2001, and found that the change in passenger travel modes led to 242 added driving deaths per month. In all, they estimated that about 1,200 driving deaths could be attributed to the short-term effects of the attacks. The study attributes the change in traveler behavior to two factors: fear of terrorist attacks and the wish to avoid the inconvenience of strict security measures; no attempt is made to estimate separately the influence of each of these two factors.
In 2007, the researchers studied specifically the effects of a change to security practices instituted by the TSA in late 2002. They concluded that this change reduced the number of air travelers by 6%, and estimated that consequently, 129 more people died in car accidents in the fourth quarter of 2002. Extrapolating this rate of fatalities, New York Times contributor Nate Silver
remarked that this is equivalent to "four fully loaded Boeing 737s crashing each year."
The 2007 study also noted that strict airport security hurts the airline industry; it was estimated that the 6% reduction in the number of passengers in the fourth quarter of 2002 cost the industry $1.1 billion in lost business.
's office.
A report by the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General
found that TSA officials had collaborated with Covenant Aviation Security
(CAS) at San Francisco International Airport
to alert screeners to 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 being undertaken. Despite the report, CAS was rehired with a $314 million, four-year contract at the airport, and while employees of the firm and TSA were disciplined, none lost their jobs.
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. 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.
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. Among them was a failure to detect a fake bomb.
In December 2010, ABC News Houston reported in an article about a man who accidentally took a forgotten gun through airport security, that "the failure rate approaches 70 percent at some major airports".
reported that a computer hard drive containing Social Security
numbers, bank data, and payroll information for about 100,000 employees had been lost or stolen from TSA headquarters. Kip Hawley alerted TSA employees to the loss, and apologized for it. The agency asked the FBI to investigate.
, a blogger and security researcher, said that a TSA website was collecting private passenger information in an unsecured manner, exposing passengers to identity theft
. The website allowed passengers to dispute their inclusion on the No Fly List
. The TSA fixed the website several days after the press picked up the story. The U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform investigated the matter, and said the website had operated insecurely for more than four months, during which more than 247 people had submitted personal information. The report said the TSA manager who awarded the contract for creating the website was a high-school friend and former employee of the owner of the firm that received the contract. It noted:
issued a press release stating that pilots should not submit to Advanced Imaging Technology because of unknown radiation risks and calling for strict guidelines for pat downs of pilots, including evaluation of their fitness for duty after the pat down, given stressful nature of pat downs. Two airline pilots filed suit against the procedures. A number of publicized incidents created a public outcry against the invasiveness of the pat-down techniques, in which women’s breasts and the genital areas of all passengers are patted. Concerns have also been raised as to the constitutionality
of the new screening methods, with organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union
leading the opposition. As of April 2011, at least six lawsuits have been filed for violation of the Fourth Amendment
. George Washington University law professor Jeffrey Rosen
has supported this view, saying "there's a strong argument that the TSA's measures violate the Fourth Amendment, which prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures.".
Some highly publicized incidents around the screening procedures included:
The American Civil Liberties Union
has called the scanners a "virtual strip search." United States House of Representatives
by Ron Paul
(R-Texas) introduced the American Traveler Dignity Act (H.R.6416). Two separate Internet campaigns promoted a “National Opt-Out Day,” the day before Thanksgiving
, urging travelers to “opt out” of the scanner and insist on a pat down. US. Representative John L. Mica (R-Fla.), the incoming chair of the United States House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
, called for refining TSA procedures and for airports to consider private screeners.
On November 17, TSA chief John Pistole defended the TSA's screening policies in a Senate committee hearing, and was quoted as saying "I’m not going to change the policy". TSA also promised to correct issues brought to their attention.
United States Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton said she personally would like to avoid a pat down but said United States President Barack Obama
administration officials were responding to terrorists "getting more creative about what they do to hide explosives in, you know, crazy things like underwear." President Obama said he had asked his counter terrorism team if the measures were "absolutely necessary."
In May 2011, the Texas House of Representatives
passed a bill that would make it illegal for Transportation Security Administration officials to touch a person's genitals when carrying out a patdown
. The bill failed in the Senate
after the Department of Justice
threatened to make Texas a no-fly zone
if the legislation passed.
found 61% of likely voters oppose the new measures by TSA.
In 2004, over 17,000 claims of baggage theft were reported. As of 2004, 60 screeners had been arrested for baggage theft, a number which had grown to 200 screeners by 2008. 11,700 theft and damage claims were reported to the TSA in 2009, a drop from 26,500 in 2004.
As of 2011, the TSA employs about 60,000 screeners in total (counting both baggage and passenger screening) and approximately 500 TSA officers have been fired or suspended for stealing from passenger luggage since the agency's creation in November 2001. The most affected airports are in the New York area – John F. Kennedy International Airport JFK
, LaGuardia Airport LGA
and Newark Liberty International Airport EWR
.
In 2008 an investigative report by WTAE
in Pittsburgh discovered that despite over 400 reports of baggage theft, about half of which the TSA reimbursed passengers for, not a single arrest had been made. The TSA does not, as a matter of policy, share baggage theft reports with local police departments.
On May 19, 2011, TSA officer Rynel B. Delacruz was arrested at Orlando International Airport for trying to bring a gun through a security checkpoint, and was released the next day after posting $250 bail.
On July 7, 2011, TSA officer Nelson Santiago-Serrano was arrested and charged with two counts of grand theft after allegedly stealing $50,000 worth of electronics from passengers' luggage and selling it. Nelson Santiago-Serrano was stationed at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport
and was caught by a Continental Airlines
employee as he was stealing an iPad
. He was released after posting $4,000 bail.
flight from New York City to Los Angeles after TSA agents allowed him through security despite having an expired boarding pass, the name on the ID and boarding pass not matching and using a University of Michigan
student ID. In Los Angeles, he was allowed into the sterile area with an invalid boarding pass before a Delta Air Lines
ticket agent stopped him from boarding a Delta flight to Atlanta.
United States Department of Homeland Security
The United States Department of Homeland Security is a cabinet department of the United States federal government, created in response to the September 11 attacks, and with the primary responsibilities of protecting the territory of the United States and protectorates from and responding to...
that exercises authority over the safety and security of the traveling public in the United States.
The TSA was created as part of the Aviation and Transportation Security Act
Aviation and Transportation Security Act
The Aviation and Transportation Security Act was enacted by the 107th United States Congress in the immediate aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks. The Act created the Transportation Security Administration within the U.S. Department of Transportation...
, sponsored by Don Young
Don Young
Donald Edwin "Don" Young is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1973. He is a member of the Republican Party.Young is the 6th most senior U.S. Representative and the 2nd most senior Republican Representative, as well as the 2nd most senior Republican in Congress as a whole...
in the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
and Ernest Hollings
Ernest Hollings
Ernest Frederick "Fritz" Hollings served as a Democratic United States Senator from South Carolina from 1966 to 2005, as well as the 106th Governor of South Carolina and Lt. Governor . He served 38 years and 55 days in the Senate, which makes him the 8th-longest-serving Senator in history...
in the Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
, passed by the 107th U.S. Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
, and signed into law by President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
on . Originally part of the United States Department of Transportation
United States Department of Transportation
The United States Department of Transportation is a federal Cabinet department of the United States government concerned with transportation. It was established by an act of Congress on October 15, 1966, and began operation on April 1, 1967...
, the TSA was moved to the Department of Homeland Security
United States Department of Homeland Security
The United States Department of Homeland Security is a cabinet department of the United States federal government, created in response to the September 11 attacks, and with the primary responsibilities of protecting the territory of the United States and protectorates from and responding to...
on .
John S. Pistole
John S. Pistole
John S. Pistole is the Administrator of the United States Transportation Security Administration and former Deputy Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.-Education:...
is the fifth TSA Administrator, having replaced former head Kip Hawley
Kip Hawley
Edmund S. "Kip" Hawley is the former Administrator for the Transportation Security Administration, part of United States government's Department of Homeland Security. Hawley held the post from July 27, 2005 to January 20, 2009, replacing the previous Director, Rear Admiral David Stone...
.
History and organization
The TSA was created in response to the September 11, 2001, attacks. Its first administrator, John MagawJohn Magaw
John W. Magaw was a United States Government administrator. He received a bachelor of science degree in education from Otterbein College, in Westerville, Ohio . He began his career in public service in 1959 as a state trooper with the Ohio State Highway Patrol.He became a special agent with the...
, was nominated by President Bush on December 10, 2001, and confirmed by the Senate the following January. The agency's proponents, including Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta
Norman Mineta
Norman Yoshio Mineta, is a United States politician of the Democratic Party. Mineta most recently served in President George W. Bush's Cabinet as the United States Secretary of Transportation, the only Democratic Cabinet Secretary in the Bush administration...
, argued that an only single federal agency would better protect air travel than the private companies who operated under contract to single airlines or groups of airlines that used a given terminal facility.
The organization was charged with developing policies to protect U.S. transportation, especially in airport security
Airport security
Airport security refers to the techniques and methods used in protecting airports and aircraft from crime.Large numbers of people pass through airports. This presents potential targets for terrorism and other forms of crime due to the number of people located in a particular location...
and the prevention of aircraft hijacking
Aircraft hijacking
Aircraft hijacking is the unlawful seizure of an aircraft by an individual or a group. In most cases, the pilot is forced to fly according to the orders of the hijackers. Occasionally, however, the hijackers have flown the aircraft themselves, such as the September 11 attacks of 2001...
.
With state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
, local, and regional partners, the TSA oversees security for highways, railroads, buses, mass transit systems, pipelines, port
Port
A port is a location on a coast or shore containing one or more harbors where ships can dock and transfer people or cargo to or from land....
s. However, the bulk of the TSA's efforts are in aviation security. The TSA is solely responsible for screening passengers and checked and carry-on baggage at 450 U.S. airports.
It also works with local police and other law enforcement official to reduce baggage theft in many airports. In Las Vegas in summer 2007, a sting operation
Sting operation
In law enforcement, a sting operation is a deceptive operation designed to catch a person committing a crime. A typical sting will have a law-enforcement officer or cooperative member of the public play a role as criminal partner or potential victim and go along with a suspect's actions to gather...
caught two airport employees stealing weapons. However, the TSA does not, as a matter of policy, share baggage theft reports with local police departments.
Private screening did not disappear under the TSA, which allows airports to opt out of federal screening and hire firms to do the job instead. Such firms must still get TSA approval under its Screening Partnership Program (SPP) and follow TSA procedures. Among the U.S. airports with privately operated checkpoints are San Francisco International Airport
San Francisco International Airport
San Francisco International Airport is a major international airport located south of downtown San Francisco, California, United States, near the cities of Millbrae and San Bruno in unincorporated San Mateo County. It is often referred to as SFO...
; Kansas City International Airport
Kansas City International Airport
Kansas City International Airport , originally named Mid-Continent International Airport, is a public airport located 15 miles northwest of the central business district of Kansas City, in Platte County, Missouri, United States. In 2008, 10,469,892 passengers used the airport...
; Greater Rochester International Airport
Greater Rochester International Airport
Greater Rochester International Airport is a county-owned public-use airport located three nautical miles southwest of the central business district of Rochester, a city in Monroe County, New York, United States...
; Tupelo Regional Airport
Tupelo Regional Airport
Tupelo Regional Airport is a public airport located three miles west of the city of Tupelo in Lee County, Mississippi, USA. The airport has a single runway. It is mostly used for general aviation, but is also served by one commercial airline....
; Key West International Airport
Key West International Airport
Key West International Airport is a county-owned public airport located two miles east of the central business district of Key West, in Monroe County, Florida, United States....
; Charles M. Schulz – Sonoma County Airport; and Jackson Hole Airport
Jackson Hole Airport
Jackson Hole Airport is a public airport located seven miles north of the central business district of Jackson, a town in Teton County, Wyoming, United States...
.
Among the types of TSA employees are:
- Transportation Security Officers: The TSA employs around 45,000 Transportation Security Officers (TSOs), colloquially known as screeners. They screen people, property and control entry and exit points in airports. They also watch several areas before and beyond checkpoints.
- Federal Air MarshalsFederal Air Marshal ServiceThe Federal Air Marshal Service is a United States federal law enforcement agency under the supervision of the Transportation Security Administration of the United States Department of Homeland Security...
: A federal law enforcement officer, a FAM blends in with passengers, to detect, deter, and defeat terrorists and other criminals targeting U.S. air carriers, airports, passengers, crew, and when necessary, other transportation modes. The TSA oversaw the Service until , when the program was transferred to the U.S. Immigration and Customs EnforcementU.S. Immigration and Customs EnforcementU.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is a federal law enforcement agency under the United States Department of Homeland Security , responsible for identifying, investigating, and dismantling vulnerabilities regarding the nation's border, economic, transportation, and infrastructure security...
. In the U.S. government's 2006 fiscal year, the Federal Air Marshal Service was transferred back to the TSA.
- Transportation Security Inspectors: They inspect, assess, and investigate passenger and cargo transportation systems to see how secure they are. TSA employs roughly 1,000 aviation inspectors, 450 cargo inspectors, and 100 surface inspectors.
- National Explosives Detection Canine Teams Program: These trainers prepares dogs and handlers to serve as mobile teams that can quickly find dangerous materials. As of June 2008, the TSA had trained about 430 canine teams, with 370 deployed to airports and 56 deployed to mass transit systems.
- Visible Intermodal Prevention and Response (VIPR) teams: VIPR teams started in 2005 and involved Federal Air Marshals and other TSA crew working outside of the airport environment, at train stations, ports, truck weigh stations, special events, and other places. There has been some controversy and congressional criticism for problems such as the July 3, 2007 holiday screenings. In 2011, AmtrakAmtrakThe National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
police chief John O'Connor moved to temporarily ban VIPR teams from Amtrak property. As of 2011, VIPR team operations were being conducted at a rate of 8,000 per year.
The TSA also oversees the Federal Flight Deck Officer program, which gives some pilots permission to carry firearms in the cockpit as a defense against hijackers.
TSA has had five administrators. They are John Magaw
John Magaw
John W. Magaw was a United States Government administrator. He received a bachelor of science degree in education from Otterbein College, in Westerville, Ohio . He began his career in public service in 1959 as a state trooper with the Ohio State Highway Patrol.He became a special agent with the...
(2002), Admiral James Loy
James Loy
Admiral James Milton Loy served as Acting United States Secretary of Homeland Security in 2005 and United States Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security from December 4, 2003, to March 1, 2005...
(2002–2003), Rear Admiral David M. Stone (2003–2005), Kip Hawley
Kip Hawley
Edmund S. "Kip" Hawley is the former Administrator for the Transportation Security Administration, part of United States government's Department of Homeland Security. Hawley held the post from July 27, 2005 to January 20, 2009, replacing the previous Director, Rear Admiral David Stone...
(2005–2009) and most recently John Pistole (2010–). Current Deputy Administrator Gale Rossides served as TSA's Acting Administrator from early 2009 until Pistole's confirmation in the summer of 2010.
Funding
For fiscal year 2011, the TSA had a budget of roughly $8.1 billion.| Budget | $ Millions | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Aviation Security | 4,809 | 71% |
| Federal Air Marshals | 767 | 11% |
| Transportation Security Support & Intelligence | 524 | 8% |
| Aviation Security Capital Fund | 250 | 4% |
| Checkpoint Screening Security Fund | 250 | 4% |
| Transportation Threat Assessment & Credentialing | 164 | 2% |
| Surface Transportation Security | 47 | 1% |
| Total | 6,814 | 100% |
The salary for a TSO is currently $25,518 to $38,277 per year, not including locality pay (contiguous 48 states) or cost of living allowance
Cost of Living Allowance
Cost of Living Allowance is a United States military entitlement given to military servicemen and women living in high cost areas or stationed overseas...
(COLA) in Hawaii and Alaska. A handful of airports also have a retention bonus of up to 35%. Employees receive an annual uniform allowance and public transportation vouchers upon request. Employees are also eligible for medical, dental and vision benefits along with a federal retirement and pension plan.
Behavior Detection Officers
Behavior Detection Officers, or "BDOs," are officers whose primary responsibility is to observe the behavior of passengers going through the security checkpoint. Sometimes police officers are called in to help ask questions or do a background check.Uniform
In 2008, TSA employees began wearing new uniforms that have a blue-gray 65/35 polyester/cotton blend duty shirt, black pants, a wider black belt, and optional short-sleeved shirts and black vests (for seasonal reasons). The first airport to introduce the new uniforms was Baltimore-Washington International Airport. Starting on September 11, 2008, all TSOs began wearing the new uniform. One stripe on each shoulder board denotes a TSO, two stripes a Lead TSO, and three a Supervisory TSO.Luggage locks
The TSA is allowed to open and search air passengers' luggage for security screening in the U.S. They are also allowed to cut open, destroy, or otherwise disable locks during a search.The agency has sanctioned two companies to make padlock
Padlock
Padlocks are portable locks used to protect against theft, vandalism, sabotage, unauthorized use, and harm. They are designed to protect against some degree of forced and surreptitious entry.- History :...
s, lockable straps, and luggage with built-in locks that can be opened and relocked by tools and information supplied by the lock manufacturers. These are Travel Sentry
Travel Sentry
Travel Sentry, Inc. is an American company that establishes and manages standards used in travel security. It neither makes nor sells products...
and Safe Skies Locks. TSA agents have these tools, as do certain authorized security agencies such as UK Customs.
TSA agents sometimes fail to replace locks or close them properly. Passengers who find their TSA-approved locks missing can file a claim with form SF-95.
Large printer cartridges ban
After the October 2010 cargo planes bomb plot, in which cargo containing laser printerLaser printer
A laser printer is a common type of computer printer that rapidly produces high quality text and graphics on plain paper. As with digital photocopiers and multifunction printers , laser printers employ a xerographic printing process, but differ from analog photocopiers in that the image is produced...
s with toner cartridge
Toner cartridge
A toner cartridge, also called laser toner, is the consumable component of a laser printer. Toner cartridges contain toner powder, a fine, dry mixture of plastic particles, carbon, and black or other coloring agents that make the actual image on the paper...
s filled with explosives were discovered on separate cargo planes, the U.S. prohibited passengers from carrying certain printer cartridges on flights. The TSA said it would ban toner and ink cartridge
Ink cartridge
An ink cartridge or inkjet cartridge is a replaceable component of an inkjet printer that contains the ink that is deposited onto paper during printing....
s weighing over 16 ounces (453 grams) from all passenger flights. U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano
Janet Napolitano
Janet Napolitano is the third and current United States Secretary of Homeland Security, serving in the administration of President Barack Obama. She is the fourth person to hold the position, which was created after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. A member of the Democratic Party, she was the 21st...
said the ban would apply to both carry-on bags and checked bags on domestic and international flights in-bound to the U.S. PC Magazine
PC Magazine
PC Magazine is a computer magazine published by Ziff Davis Publishing Holdings Inc. A print edition was published from 1982 to January 2009...
opined that the ban would not affect average travelers, whose toner cartridges are generally lighter, but would affect the importing of laser printer supplies, as many laser toner cartridges weigh well in excess of a pound.
November 2010 Enhanced Screening Procedures
Beginning in November 2010, TSA added new enhanced screening procedures, including expanding the use of backscatter X-rayBackscatter X-ray
Backscatter X-ray is an advanced X-ray imaging technology. Traditional X-ray machines detect hard and soft materials by the variation in transmission through the target. In contrast, backscatter X-ray detects the radiation that reflects from the target...
and millimeter wave detection machines at airports that allow security officers to detect both metal and non-metal weapons hidden underneath passengers' clothing. The agency also modified its existing pat-down procedures to allow officers to more thoroughly check areas on the body such as waistbands, groin, and inner thigh.
As of November 23, the new procedures were implemented at all U.S. airports, with many having added the new Advanced Imaging Technology, or AIT, units. Passengers who enter the AIT unit are directed to hold their hands above their heads for a few seconds while front and back images are created. These images are displayed only to a TSA officer in a remote, secured room. The officer viewing the images cannot see the passengers in person, and the officers screening the passengers cannot see the images. The images are then reviewed for various materials, which typically takes on average 10–15 seconds, then discarded. While the machines can be capable of storing images, the manufactures disable these features prior to delivering them to the TSA. In February 2011, the TSA began testing new software on the millimeter wave machines already used at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport that automatically detects potential threats on a passenger without the need for having an officer review actual images. Instead, one generic figure is used for all passengers and small yellow boxes are placed on areas of the body requiring additional screening.
Passengers who have an anomaly on their person at the AIT unit, decline to go through the AIT unit, or who alarm the metal detector are referred for additional screening, which will include a physical search to resolve or detect any concealed items. All physical searches are conducted by a TSA officer of the passenger's gender, and can be done in a private room if requested, and the passenger may have a witness present as well.
TSA officials said they created the measures in reaction to the "underwear bomber" who smuggled plastic explosives onto an airplane in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
in December 2009.
TSA officials have declined to provide specific details of the pat-down procedures, as they are classified as Sensitive Security Information. The public learned about the extent of the searches from passengers who posted their stories on the Internet, and news reports providing what information they have.
To prevent potential terrorists from probing the security system, U.S. federal law prohibits passengers from withdrawing from the screening process after it begins, thus passengers who decline any secondary screening (including a pat-down search) are considered to be refusing the screening process and can be subject to civil penalties and will not be permitted to board the aircraft. A person though still has the right to refuse any primary search and leave the airport before the screening process has begun.
On November 23, 2010, TSA officials said that some high-ranking US government officials were being allowed to bypass some security procedures if they were traveling with government bodyguards and escorts. Among the officials are executive-branch leaders such as Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and FBI Director Robert Mueller
Robert Mueller
Robert Swan Mueller III is the 6th and current Director of the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation .-Early life:...
and congressional leaders
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
such as Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
Speaker of the House
Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
The Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, or Speaker of the House, is the presiding officer of the United States House of Representatives...
John Boehner
John Boehner
John Andrew Boehner is the 61st and current Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. A member of the Republican Party, he is the U.S. Representative from , serving since 1991...
. Law-enforcement officials are also allowed to bypass the screening process if they are traveling armed, have the appropriate paperwork, and have completed a training course by TSA.
TSA Precheck Program (Trusted Traveler)
In October 2011, TSA cooperating with Delta Air LinesDelta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines, Inc. is a major airline based in the United States and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The airline operates an extensive domestic and international network serving all continents except Antarctica. Delta and its subsidiaries operate over 4,000 flights every day...
and American Airlines
American Airlines
American Airlines, Inc. is the world's fourth-largest airline in passenger miles transported and operating revenues. American Airlines is a subsidiary of the AMR Corporation and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas adjacent to its largest hub at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport...
, allowed selected members of the Delta Skymiles and American Advantage frequent flyer programs, along with members of Global Entry
Global Entry
Global Entry is a program being piloted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection that allows pre-approved, low-risk travelers to receive expedited clearance upon arrival into the United States.-Enrollment:...
, NEXUS
Nexus
-Fiction:* Nexus, the final novel in The Rosy Crucifixion trilogy by Henry Miller* The Nexus, the central plot element in the film Star Trek Generations* Nexus: The Jupiter Incident, a 2004 science fiction themed real-time tactics computer game...
and SENTRI to receive expedited screening. Those selected members from the Delta Skymiles and American Advantage programs must be US citizens and provide the airline, who provides TSA, additional information about themselves. Global Entry
Global Entry
Global Entry is a program being piloted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection that allows pre-approved, low-risk travelers to receive expedited clearance upon arrival into the United States.-Enrollment:...
, NEXUS and SENTRI members must be US citizens and include their Customs and Border Protection identification number on their reservation to receive expedited screening. If approved for expedited screening, it is embedded in the barcode on the boarding pass and the passenger is directed to the expedited screening line by the TSA document officer.
For those who are flying American Airlines
American Airlines
American Airlines, Inc. is the world's fourth-largest airline in passenger miles transported and operating revenues. American Airlines is a subsidiary of the AMR Corporation and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas adjacent to its largest hub at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport...
, it is available for those departing from Dallas-Ft. Worth International Airport and Miami International Airport
Miami International Airport
Miami International Airport , also known as MIA and historically Wilcox Field, is the primary airport serving the South Florida area...
. For passengers who are flying Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines, Inc. is a major airline based in the United States and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The airline operates an extensive domestic and international network serving all continents except Antarctica. Delta and its subsidiaries operate over 4,000 flights every day...
, it is available for those departing from Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County and Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.
TSA has said that they will incorporate random and unpredictable security measures and no individual would be guaranteed expedited screening. If the pilot is successful, TSA plans on expanding it to other airlines and airports.
Concerns about radiation
Some people are concerned with exposure to radiationRadiation
In physics, radiation is a process in which energetic particles or energetic waves travel through a medium or space. There are two distinct types of radiation; ionizing and non-ionizing...
emitted by backscatter X-rays, and fear being exposed to a "dangerous level of radiation if they get backscattered too often". The backscatter X-ray emits a type of ionizing radiation
Ionizing radiation
Ionizing radiation is radiation composed of particles that individually have sufficient energy to remove an electron from an atom or molecule. This ionization produces free radicals, which are atoms or molecules containing unpaired electrons...
that damages chemical bond
Chemical bond
A chemical bond is an attraction between atoms that allows the formation of chemical substances that contain two or more atoms. The bond is caused by the electromagnetic force attraction between opposite charges, either between electrons and nuclei, or as the result of a dipole attraction...
s. Ionizing radiation is considered a non-threshold carcinogen
Carcinogen
A carcinogen is any substance, radionuclide, or radiation that is an agent directly involved in causing cancer. This may be due to the ability to damage the genome or to the disruption of cellular metabolic processes...
, but it is difficult to quantify the risk of low radiation exposures.
While the most recent studies have deemed the radition risk from AIT units to be trivial, some physicians have voiced concerns about the radiation emitted by the scanners. Dr. Otis Brawley, chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society
American Cancer Society
The American Cancer Society is the "nationwide community-based voluntary health organization" dedicated, in their own words, "to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by preventing cancer, saving lives, and diminishing suffering from cancer, through research, education, advocacy, and...
told CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
that he "takes a pat-down instead of going through a scanner when he travels" because he is "concerned about whether the machines are calibrated and inspected properly." Brawley's deputy, Dr. Len Lichtenfeld, does "whatever [he] can to avoid the scanner," since he is "concerned about the cumulative effect of the radiation": Dr. Dong Kim, chair of the department of neurosurgery
Neurosurgery
Neurosurgery is the medical specialty concerned with the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of disorders which affect any portion of the nervous system including the brain, spine, spinal cord, peripheral nerves, and extra-cranial cerebrovascular system.-In the United States:In...
at the University of Texas Medical School
University of Texas Medical Branch
The University of Texas Medical Branch is a component of the University of Texas System located in Galveston, Texas, United States, about 50 miles southeast of Downtown Houston...
and neurosurgeon for Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords
Gabrielle Giffords
Gabrielle Dee "Gabby" Giffords is an American politician. A Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives, she has represented since 2007. She is the third woman in Arizona's history to be elected to the U.S. Congress...
, stated that "[t]here is really no absolutely safe dose of radiation. Each exposure is additive, and there is no need to incur any extra radiation when there is an alternative." Dr. Andrew Weil
Andrew Weil
Andrew Thomas Weil is an American author and physician, who established the field of integrative medicine which attempts to integrate alternative and conventional medicine. Weil is the author of several best-selling books and operates a website and monthly newsletter promoting general health and...
agreed, saying that "All radiation exposure adds to the cumulative total you've received over your lifetime. Cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
risks correlate with that number, so no dose of radiation is too small to matter."
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Food and Drug Administration
The Food and Drug Administration is an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, one of the United States federal executive departments...
(FDA) created a webpage providing backscatter X-ray scan safety information. However, biochemist
Biochemist
Biochemists are scientists who are trained in biochemistry. Typical biochemists study chemical processes and chemical transformations in living organisms. The prefix of "bio" in "biochemist" can be understood as a fusion of "biological chemist."-Role:...
s and biophysicists at the University of California, San Francisco
University of California, San Francisco
The University of California, San Francisco is one of the world's leading centers of health sciences research, patient care, and education. UCSF's medical, pharmacy, dentistry, nursing, and graduate schools are among the top health science professional schools in the world...
, in a May 2010 letter to the head of the TSA, raised concerns about the validity of indirect comparisons the FDA used in evaluating backscatter x-ray machine safety, asking that additional data be made public. When the much-redacted report was made public, the same UCSF biophysicists objected in an April 2011 letter that the data could not be independently verified and called for the use of readily-available alternate technologies in preference to backscatter x-ray scanning, which they continue to maintain is dangerous.
Legal Challenges
On July 2, 2010, the Electronic Privacy Information CenterElectronic Privacy Information Center
Electronic Privacy Information Center is a public interest research group in Washington, D.C. It was established in 1994 to focus public attention on emerging civil liberties issues and to protect privacy, the First Amendment, and constitutional values in the information age...
petitioned the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals for review of three DHS actions— one failure to act, one agency Order, and one agency Rule—of the TSA, a DHS component. The Petitioners filed a motion for emergency stay, urging the Court to shut down the program as soon as possible in order to prevent irreparable harm to American travelers. On July 15, 2010, the federal agency opposed the motion. On July 20, 2010, EPIC filed a reply to the opposition. On September 1, 2010, the Court ordered the motion be denied, and set out the briefing schedule.
On November 1, 2010, EPIC filed its opening brief, arguing that the DHS "has initiated the most sweeping, the most invasive, and the most unaccountable suspicionless search of American travelers in history." EPIC further argued that the TSA "must comply with relevant law, and it must not be permitted to engage in such a fundamental change in agency practice without providing the public the opportunity to express its views."
On November 5, 2010, the Department of Homeland Security moved to exclude religious objector Nadhira Al-Khalili from the lawsuit. Ms. Al-Khalili is Legal Counsel for the Council on American Islamic Relations, one of the organizations that supported EPIC's petition, which is the basis for the challenge to the body scanner program. Ms. Al-Khalili's claims are based on the Religious Freedom Restoration Act and Islamic modesty requirements. EPIC opposed the government's motion and stated that the agency is "simply afraid to have the Religious Freedom Restoration Act claims heard by this Court." EPIC further argued that "Respondents hope by seeking to exclude Ms. Al- Khalili . . . they will avoid judicial scrutiny of an agency practice that substantially burdens the free exercise of religion in violation of federal law."
On December 23, 2010, Respondent DHS filed its answer brief, again urging the Court to exclude Nadhira al-Khalili as a religious objector in the suit. Respondents also asserted that the body scanner program was not substantial enough of a change in agency policy to constitute a "rule" under the Administrative Procedures Act. EPIC has previously argued that the body scanner program is "the single most significant change in air traveler screening in the United States since the creation of the agency," adding that the agency has considered far less significant changes to be rules, including policies relating to butane lighters and transportation worker identity documents.
On January 6, 2011, EPIC filed a reply brief, arguing that "the TSA has acted outside of its regulatory authority and with profound disregard for the statutory and constitutional rights of air travelers, the agency’s rule should be set aside and further deployment of the body scanners should be suspended." On the same day, EPIC hosted a one-day public conference "The Stripping of Freedom: A Careful Scan of TSA Security Procedures" in Washington, DC. Oral Argument in the case is scheduled for March 10, 2011.
On March 11, 2011 in the DC Court of Appeal lawyers for DHS and TSA alleged the TSA agents believe to have the legal authority from Congress to strip search every air traveler. In addition to replacing local security screening at airports TSA has invested millions of dollars in mobile strip search machines for use at railroads, stadiums, courthouses, etc. in an effort to replace local police.
On May 13, 2011 Texas House Bill 1937 that would make it a misdemeanor offense for a federal security agent to "intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly [touch] the anus, sexual organ, buttocks, or breast of the other person, including touching through clothing, or touching the other person in a manner that would be offensive to a reasonable person" passed the House unanimously 138-0. U.S. Attorney John E. Murphy warned against its passing the Senate because the TSA would "likely be required to cancel any flight … for which it could not ensure the safety of passengers and crew."
Criticisms
Measures employed by the TSA have been accused of fostering a false sense of safety. This has been described by security expert Bruce SchneierBruce Schneier
Bruce Schneier is an American cryptographer, computer security specialist, and writer. He is the author of several books on general security topics, computer security and cryptography, and is the founder and chief technology officer of BT Managed Security Solutions, formerly Counterpane Internet...
as security theater
Security theater
Security theater is a term that describes security countermeasures intended to provide the feeling of improved security while doing little or nothing to actually improve security. The term was coined by computer security specialist and writer Bruce Schneier for his book Beyond Fear, but has gained...
.
Criticisms have also included assertions that TSA employees slept on the job, bypassed security checks, and failed to use good judgment and common sense.
TSA agents were also accused of having mistreated passengers, and having sexually harassed passengers, having used invasive screening procedures, including touching the genitals of children, removing nipple rings with pliers, having searched passengers or their belongings for items other than weapons or explosives, and having stolen from passengers.
The TSA was also accused of having profited by selling banned items collected from passengers, having spent lavishly on events unrelated to airport security, having wasted money in hiring, and having had conflicts of interest
Conflict of interest
A conflict of interest occurs when an individual or organization is involved in multiple interests, one of which could possibly corrupt the motivation for an act in the other....
.
The “Terror Watch List
No Fly List
The No Fly List is a list, created and maintained by the United States government's Terrorist Screening Center , of people who are not permitted to board a commercial aircraft for travel in or out of the United States. The list has also been used to divert away from U.S. airspace aircraft not...
” had more than one million names, including the name of a CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
reporter who claims he was added to the terror list while he was reporting critically on the Federal Air Marshal Service. According to the TSA, the watch list, which is maintained by the U.S. Department of Justice, contains about 400,000 people, most of whom are not US persons. The TSA list contains some US citizens incorrectly flagged as suspicious, notably Michael Winston Hicks of Clifton, NJ, at eight years old (in 2010), despite attempts as early as the age of two by his family to have him removed . The TSA denies Drew Griffin's claim that he is on the list. The TSA reacted to complaints of misidentification by saying it would fine airlines $25,000 for wrongfully informing a traveler that he or she is on a government watchlist.
The TSA was accused of having performed poorly at the 2009 Presidential Inauguration viewing areas, which left thousands of ticket holders excluded from the event in overcrowded conditions, while those who had arrived before the checkpoints were in place avoided screening altogether.
Unintended consequences of strict security
Two studies by a group of Cornell UniversityCornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
researchers have found that strict airport security has the unintended consequence of increasing road fatalities, as would-be air travelers decide to drive and are exposed to the far greater risk of dying in a car accident.
In 2005, the researchers looked at the immediate aftermath of the attacks of September 11, 2001, and found that the change in passenger travel modes led to 242 added driving deaths per month. In all, they estimated that about 1,200 driving deaths could be attributed to the short-term effects of the attacks. The study attributes the change in traveler behavior to two factors: fear of terrorist attacks and the wish to avoid the inconvenience of strict security measures; no attempt is made to estimate separately the influence of each of these two factors.
In 2007, the researchers studied specifically the effects of a change to security practices instituted by the TSA in late 2002. They concluded that this change reduced the number of air travelers by 6%, and estimated that consequently, 129 more people died in car accidents in the fourth quarter of 2002. Extrapolating this rate of fatalities, New York Times contributor Nate Silver
Nate Silver
Nathaniel Read "Nate" Silver is an American statistician, psephologist, and writer. Silver first gained public recognition for developing PECOTA, a system for forecasting the performance and career development of Major League Baseball players, which he sold to and then managed for Baseball...
remarked that this is equivalent to "four fully loaded Boeing 737s crashing each year."
The 2007 study also noted that strict airport security hurts the airline industry; it was estimated that the 6% reduction in the number of passengers in the fourth quarter of 2002 cost the industry $1.1 billion in lost business.
Covert security tests; gaming and failures
Undercover operations to test the effectiveness of airport screening processes are routinely carried out by the TSA's internal affairs unit and the Department of Homeland Security Inspector GeneralInspector General
An Inspector General is an investigative official in a civil or military organization. The plural of the term is Inspectors General.-Bangladesh:...
's office.
A report by the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General
Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General
-Purpose:The United States Congress enacted the Inspector General Act of 1978 to ensure integrity and efficiency in government. The Homeland Security Act of 2002, as amended, established an Office of Inspector General in the Department of Homeland Security...
found that TSA officials had collaborated with Covenant Aviation Security
Covenant Aviation Security
Covenant Aviation Security, LLC is a Chicago, Illinois, company that provides security services to the aviation industry. Gerald L. Berry has been its President since October 2002.-Activities:...
(CAS) at San Francisco International Airport
San Francisco International Airport
San Francisco International Airport is a major international airport located south of downtown San Francisco, California, United States, near the cities of Millbrae and San Bruno in unincorporated San Mateo County. It is often referred to as SFO...
to alert screeners to 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 being undertaken. Despite the report, CAS was rehired with a $314 million, four-year contract at the airport, and while employees of the firm and TSA were disciplined, none lost their jobs.
A report on undercover operations conducted in October 2006 at Newark Liberty International Airport
Newark Liberty International Airport
Newark Liberty International Airport , first named Newark Metropolitan Airport and later Newark International Airport, is an international airport within the city limits of both Newark and Elizabeth, New Jersey, United States...
was leaked to the press. The screeners had failed 20 of 22 undercover security tests, missing numerous guns and bombs. The Government Accountability Office
Government Accountability Office
The Government Accountability Office is the audit, evaluation, and investigative arm of the United States Congress. It is located in the legislative branch of the United States government.-History:...
had previously pointed to repeated covert test failures by TSA personnel. 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.
In July 2007, the Times Union of Albany, New York
Albany, New York
Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
reported that TSA screeners at Albany International Airport
Albany International Airport
Albany International Airport is a public use airport located six nautical miles northwest of the central business district of Albany, in Albany County, New York, United States. It is owned by the Albany County Airport Authority....
failed multiple covert security tests conducted by the TSA. Among them was a failure to detect a fake bomb.
In December 2010, ABC News Houston reported in an article about a man who accidentally took a forgotten gun through airport security, that "the failure rate approaches 70 percent at some major airports".
Employee records lost or stolen
On May 4, 2007, the Associated PressAssociated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
reported that a computer hard drive containing Social Security
Social Security Administration
The United States Social Security Administration is an independent agency of the United States federal government that administers Social Security, a social insurance program consisting of retirement, disability, and survivors' benefits...
numbers, bank data, and payroll information for about 100,000 employees had been lost or stolen from TSA headquarters. Kip Hawley alerted TSA employees to the loss, and apologized for it. The agency asked the FBI to investigate.
Insecure website
In February 2007, Christopher SoghoianChristopher Soghoian
Christopher Soghoian is a Washington, DC based researcher, activist, blogger, and Ph.D. Candidate at Indiana University. He first gained notoriety in 2006 as the creator of a website that generated fake airline boarding passes. Since that incident, he has continued to engage in high-profile...
, a blogger and security researcher, said that a TSA website was collecting private passenger information in an unsecured manner, exposing passengers to identity theft
Identity theft
Identity theft is a form of stealing another person's identity in which someone pretends to be someone else by assuming that person's identity, typically in order to access resources or obtain credit and other benefits in that person's name...
. The website allowed passengers to dispute their inclusion on the No Fly List
No Fly List
The No Fly List is a list, created and maintained by the United States government's Terrorist Screening Center , of people who are not permitted to board a commercial aircraft for travel in or out of the United States. The list has also been used to divert away from U.S. airspace aircraft not...
. The TSA fixed the website several days after the press picked up the story. The U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform investigated the matter, and said the website had operated insecurely for more than four months, during which more than 247 people had submitted personal information. The report said the TSA manager who awarded the contract for creating the website was a high-school friend and former employee of the owner of the firm that received the contract. It noted:
neither Desyne nor the technical lead on the traveler redress Web site have been sanctioned by TSA for their roles in the deployment of an insecure Web site. TSA continues to pay Desyne to host and maintain two major Web-based information systems. TSA has taken no steps to discipline the technical lead, who still holds a senior program management position at TSA.
2010 screening procedures
After the November 2010 initiation of enhanced screening procedures of all airline passengers and flight crews, the US Airline Pilots AssociationUS Airline Pilots Association
The US Airline Pilots Association is the collective bargaining agent for US Airways pilots. The US Airline Pilots Association replaced the Air Line Pilots Association in a representational election and is an "in-house union" representing the interests of the US Airways pilots...
issued a press release stating that pilots should not submit to Advanced Imaging Technology because of unknown radiation risks and calling for strict guidelines for pat downs of pilots, including evaluation of their fitness for duty after the pat down, given stressful nature of pat downs. Two airline pilots filed suit against the procedures. A number of publicized incidents created a public outcry against the invasiveness of the pat-down techniques, in which women’s breasts and the genital areas of all passengers are patted. Concerns have also been raised as to the constitutionality
Constitutionality
Constitutionality is the condition of acting in accordance with an applicable constitution. Acts that are not in accordance with the rules laid down in the constitution are deemed to be ultra vires.-See also:*ultra vires*Company law*Constitutional law...
of the new screening methods, with organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union
American Civil Liberties Union
The American Civil Liberties Union is a U.S. non-profit organization whose stated mission is "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States." It works through litigation, legislation, and...
leading the opposition. As of April 2011, at least six lawsuits have been filed for violation of the Fourth Amendment
Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution is the part of the Bill of Rights which guards against unreasonable searches and seizures, along with requiring any warrant to be judicially sanctioned and supported by probable cause...
. George Washington University law professor Jeffrey Rosen
Jeffrey Rosen
Jeffrey Rosen is an American academic and commentator on legal affairs. Legal historian David Garrow has called him "the nation's most widely read and influential legal commentator."-Biography:...
has supported this view, saying "there's a strong argument that the TSA's measures violate the Fourth Amendment, which prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures.".
Some highly publicized incidents around the screening procedures included:
- Passenger John Tyner refused a pat-down in a videotaped encounter, famously telling security personnel "If you touch my junk I'm gonna have you arrested." This phrase was commonly paraphrased as "Don't touch my junkDon't touch my junk"Don't touch my junk" is a phrase that became popular in the United States in late 2010 as a criticism of Transportation Security Administration patdowns. The word "junk" is American English slang for a person's genitals...
". - A breast cancer survivor was forced to remove her prosthetic breast.
- A bladder cancer survivor had his urostomy bag seal broken during a pat-down, leaving him soaked in urine.
- A woman with a hip replacement was singled out for pat down.
- A rape survivor was distressed by a pat-down that she described as feeling like being sexually assaulted again.
- A 3-year-old child was distressed by surrendering her teddy bear and being subject to a pat-down.
- An eight-year-old boy was patted down on his genital area.
- A woman claims that she was selected for additional screening by a male TSA worker for the size of her breasts.
- A woman claims to have been harassed and detained inordinately by multiple TSA agents over a container of saved human breast milk, and was told by a police officer that the TSA agents targeted her due to her previous complaints.
- A woman claims that she was patted down because the body scanner revealed her sanitary towelSanitary napkinA sanitary napkin, sanitary towel, sanitary pad, menstrual pad, maxi pad, or pad is an absorbent item worn by a woman while she is menstruating, recovering from vaginal surgery, for lochia , abortion, or any other situation where it is necessary to absorb a flow of blood from a woman's vagina.These...
. - A woman was arrested, strip searched, and charged with assault when she argued with several TSA agents over trying to pass applesauce through security for her elderly mother, despite being told by another TSA agent that it was permitted to bring the applesauce on the flight.
- A four-year-old boy was on his way to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla., with his parents when TSA agents forced him to take off his leg braces.
- Actress and model Donna D'ErricoDonna D'ErricoDonna D'Errico is an American actress and model. She was chosen Playboy Playmate of the Month for September 1995. Her centerfold was photographed by Richard Fegley.-Career:...
claims that a TSA agent selected her to go through an extra search and justified his choice by saying "Because you caught my eye". - On April 27, 2011, Former Miss USA Susie CastilloSusie CastilloSusie Castillo is a former beauty queen who held the Miss USA title and competed in the Miss Teen USA and Miss Universe pageants...
issued a statement attacking the TSA, alleging that she had been groped and touched inappropriately four times during the enhanced pat-down. She released a blog post and video describing the experience, and created an online petition demanding an end to the "enhanced" pat-downs. - On May 7, 2011 an 8-month-old baby was patted down at Kansas City International AirportKansas City International AirportKansas City International Airport , originally named Mid-Continent International Airport, is a public airport located 15 miles northwest of the central business district of Kansas City, in Platte County, Missouri, United States. In 2008, 10,469,892 passengers used the airport...
after traces of explosive material were detected on his stroller. - On June 26, 2011 during a pat-down, a 95-year-old leukemia patient in a wheelchair was forced to remove her diaper.
The American Civil Liberties Union
American Civil Liberties Union
The American Civil Liberties Union is a U.S. non-profit organization whose stated mission is "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States." It works through litigation, legislation, and...
has called the scanners a "virtual strip search." United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
by Ron Paul
Ron Paul
Ronald Ernest "Ron" Paul is an American physician, author and United States Congressman who is seeking to be the Republican Party candidate in the 2012 presidential election. Paul represents Texas's 14th congressional district, which covers an area south and southwest of Houston that includes...
(R-Texas) introduced the American Traveler Dignity Act (H.R.6416). Two separate Internet campaigns promoted a “National Opt-Out Day,” the day before Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving Day is a holiday celebrated primarily in the United States and Canada. Thanksgiving is celebrated each year on the second Monday of October in Canada and on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States. In Canada, Thanksgiving falls on the same day as Columbus Day in the...
, urging travelers to “opt out” of the scanner and insist on a pat down. US. Representative John L. Mica (R-Fla.), the incoming chair of the United States House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
United States House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
The U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. John Mica currently chairs the committee.-History:...
, called for refining TSA procedures and for airports to consider private screeners.
On November 17, TSA chief John Pistole defended the TSA's screening policies in a Senate committee hearing, and was quoted as saying "I’m not going to change the policy". TSA also promised to correct issues brought to their attention.
United States Secretary of State
United States Secretary of State
The United States Secretary of State is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with foreign affairs. The Secretary is a member of the Cabinet and the highest-ranking cabinet secretary both in line of succession and order of precedence...
Hillary Clinton said she personally would like to avoid a pat down but said United States President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
administration officials were responding to terrorists "getting more creative about what they do to hide explosives in, you know, crazy things like underwear." President Obama said he had asked his counter terrorism team if the measures were "absolutely necessary."
In May 2011, the Texas House of Representatives
Texas House of Representatives
The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the Texas Legislature. The House is composed of 150 members elected from single-member districts across the state. The average district has about 150,000 people. Representatives are elected to two-year terms with no term limits...
passed a bill that would make it illegal for Transportation Security Administration officials to touch a person's genitals when carrying out a patdown
Frisking
Frisking is a search of a person's outer clothing wherein a person runs his or her hands along the outer garments to detect any concealed weapons or contraband.-Stop and frisk:...
. The bill failed in the Senate
Texas Senate
The Texas Senate is the upper house of the Texas Legislature. There are 31 members of the Senate, representing 31 single-member districts across the state with populations of approximately 672,000 per constituency. There are no term limits, and each term is four years long. The Senate meets at the...
after the Department of Justice
United States Department of Justice
The United States Department of Justice , is the United States federal executive department responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice, equivalent to the justice or interior ministries of other countries.The Department is led by the Attorney General, who is nominated...
threatened to make Texas a no-fly zone
No-fly zone
A no-fly zone is a territory or an area over which aircraft are not permitted to fly. Such zones are usually set up in a military context, somewhat like a demilitarized zone in the sky, and usually prohibit military aircraft of a belligerent nation from operating in the region.-Iraq,...
if the legislation passed.
Public opinion
A CBS telephone poll of 1137 people published on November 15, 2010 found that 81% percent of those polled approved TSA's use of full-body scans. An ABC/Washington Post poll conducted by Langer Associates and released November 22, 2010 found that 64% of Americans favored the full-body X-ray scanners, but that 50% think the "enhanced" pat-downs go too far; 37% felt so strongly. In addition the poll states opposition is lowest amongst those who fly less than once a year. A later poll by Zogby InternationalZogby International
IBOPE Zogby International is an international market research, opinion polling firm founded in 1984 by John Zogby. The company polls and consults for a wide spectrum of business media, government, and political groups, and conducts public opinion research in more than 70 countries...
found 61% of likely voters oppose the new measures by TSA.
Baggage theft
The TSA has been criticized for an increase in baggage theft after its inception. Reported thefts include both valuable and dangerous goods, such as laptops, jewelry guns, and knives. Such thefts have raised concerns that the same access might allow bombs to be placed aboard aircraft.In 2004, over 17,000 claims of baggage theft were reported. As of 2004, 60 screeners had been arrested for baggage theft, a number which had grown to 200 screeners by 2008. 11,700 theft and damage claims were reported to the TSA in 2009, a drop from 26,500 in 2004.
As of 2011, the TSA employs about 60,000 screeners in total (counting both baggage and passenger screening) and approximately 500 TSA officers have been fired or suspended for stealing from passenger luggage since the agency's creation in November 2001. The most affected airports are in the New York area – John F. Kennedy International Airport JFK
John F. Kennedy International Airport
John F. Kennedy International Airport is an international airport located in the borough of Queens in New York City, about southeast of Lower Manhattan. It is the busiest international air passenger gateway to the United States, handling more international traffic than any other airport in North...
, LaGuardia Airport LGA
LaGuardia Airport
LaGuardia Airport is an airport located in the northern part of Queens County on Long Island in the City of New York. The airport is located on the waterfront of Flushing Bay and Bowery Bay, and borders the neighborhoods of Astoria, Jackson Heights and East Elmhurst. The airport was originally...
and Newark Liberty International Airport EWR
Newark Liberty International Airport
Newark Liberty International Airport , first named Newark Metropolitan Airport and later Newark International Airport, is an international airport within the city limits of both Newark and Elizabeth, New Jersey, United States...
.
In 2008 an investigative report by WTAE
WTAE-TV
WTAE-TV is the ABC affiliated television station for Western Pennsylvania that is licensed to Pittsburgh, broadcasting on UHF channel 51 and identifying via PSIP as channel 4 . It also serves as an ABC affiliate for the Wheeling/Steubenville and Clarksburg/Weston, West Virginia market areas...
in Pittsburgh discovered that despite over 400 reports of baggage theft, about half of which the TSA reimbursed passengers for, not a single arrest had been made. The TSA does not, as a matter of policy, share baggage theft reports with local police departments.
Arrested TSA officers
On March 24, 2011, TSA officer Thomas Gordon, Jr., a passenger screener at Philadelphia International Airport, was arrested by Homeland Security agents for distributing child pornography.On May 19, 2011, TSA officer Rynel B. Delacruz was arrested at Orlando International Airport for trying to bring a gun through a security checkpoint, and was released the next day after posting $250 bail.
On July 7, 2011, TSA officer Nelson Santiago-Serrano was arrested and charged with two counts of grand theft after allegedly stealing $50,000 worth of electronics from passengers' luggage and selling it. Nelson Santiago-Serrano was stationed at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport
Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport
Fort Lauderdale – Hollywood International Airport is an international commercial airport located in unincorporated Broward County, Florida, three miles southwest of the central business district of Fort Lauderdale...
and was caught by a Continental Airlines
Continental Airlines
Continental Airlines was a major American airline now merged with United Airlines. On May 3, 2010, Continental Airlines, Inc. and UAL, Inc. announced a merger via a stock swap, and on October 1, 2010, the merger closed and UAL changed its name to United Continental Holdings, Inc...
employee as he was stealing an iPad
IPad
The iPad is a line of tablet computers designed, developed and marketed by Apple Inc., primarily as a platform for audio-visual media including books, periodicals, movies, music, games, and web content. The iPad was introduced on January 27, 2010 by Apple's then-CEO Steve Jobs. Its size and...
. He was released after posting $4,000 bail.
Allowing unauthorized passengers into the sterile area
On June 24, 2011, Olajide Noibi was allowed to board a Virgin AmericaVirgin America
Virgin America, Inc. is a United States-based low-cost airline that began service on August 8, 2007. The airline's stated aim is to provide low-fare, high-quality service for "long-haul point-to-point service between major metropolitan cities on the Eastern and West Coast seaboards." San Francisco...
flight from New York City to Los Angeles after TSA agents allowed him through security despite having an expired boarding pass, the name on the ID and boarding pass not matching and using a University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
student ID. In Los Angeles, he was allowed into the sterile area with an invalid boarding pass before a Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines, Inc. is a major airline based in the United States and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The airline operates an extensive domestic and international network serving all continents except Antarctica. Delta and its subsidiaries operate over 4,000 flights every day...
ticket agent stopped him from boarding a Delta flight to Atlanta.
See also
- Airline complaintsAirline complaintsAirline complaints are any type of formal complaint filed by an airline customer either to the airline responsible for the grievance or the government office responsible for overseeing the airlines national industry...
- Canadian Air Transport Security AuthorityCanadian Air Transport Security AuthorityThe Canadian Air Transport Security Authority is a Canadian Crown corporation responsible for the security screening at the 89 designated airports in Canada...
- List of United States federal law enforcement agencies
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
- Poole, Robert (2010-04-13) Get the Government Out of Airport Screening: The TSA's conflicts of interest prevent better, cheaper security, ReasonReason (magazine)Reason is a libertarian monthly magazine published by the Reason Foundation. The magazine has a circulation of around 60,000 and was named one of the 50 best magazines in 2003 and 2004 by the Chicago Tribune.- History :...
- Poole,Robert (2011-09-19) http://articles.cnn.com/2011-06-10/travel/tsa.screeners_1_tsa-officers-administrator-john-pistole-bags?_s=PM:TRAVEL , Massive firing at HNL Honolulu Airport