Effectiveness Of Transport Security Administration - Essay Example

Effectiveness of Transport Security Administration Air transport has become a necessity throughout the globe. With millions of passengers traveling to different parts of the world daily, security has become a vital part of the air transport industry. Failure by the airports to maintain high-security levels puts the whole nation in danger. There is no telling what might come in or go out. Screening of passengers who come in and go out is very important and helps detect any security threats and prevent them. This was however not the case with the attack that took on September 11, 2001. The TSA, created as a response to the attack, is in charge of passenger and baggage screening of over 450 airports in the U.S. The 9/11 attack and other recent attacks led to the revision of the security policies that were previously in place and TSA came up with new measures to curb insecurity. These new measures haven’t proven to be as effective as they were thought to be. Most of the security threats have been internal threats. Some of the recent attacks on passenger planes have said to be from the inside of the plane. Which makes one wonder how the threat went undetected through the screening process. On a recent news report by Kerley (2015, an airport employee was caught smuggling weapons from Atlanta to New York on a passenger jet. Perhaps TSA has been too keen on the passengers and baggage that they ignored threats from their end. Screening is the most intrusive and supposedly most effective process of aviation security. In the latest attack on a Russian plane, security officials suspected a bomb to be the cause. The publics’ concern is on how the bomb passed undetected through all the screening procedures. Another concern raised by the public over TSA screening process is that it neglects possible threats from outside the airport perimeters. In Kennedy International Airport, a man managed to scale an eight-foot wall and get to the tarmac with a knife. If it is that easy to go past the airport walls with a knife, how safe can we be from a terrorist? As part of the efforts to improve the effectiveness of screening, TSA launched improved, highly technological screening equipment that would be able to detect all forms of explosives including liquids. The effectiveness of these new equipment has been put to the test by an investigator who put coins into his pocket and passed undetected through the checkpoints. Kerley (2015), also reported that other investigators who were undercover were able to smuggle mock explosives and other weapons undetected. This challenges the effectiveness of screening and poses the question of whether TSA is doing their job or not. A research carried out by Stewart (2015), indicates that TSA is expensive and ineffective. The equipment used is very expensive and has not proven to be effective so far. Security threats still go undetected despite all these new measures being put in place. Perhaps the time has come for the work of airport security to be assigned to people who can do a better job. In a commentary by Inserra (2015), 19 airports in the U.S have joined the SSP program, private companies overseen by TSA that allows them to replace TSA with more effective and cheaper screening methods. One of the airport that has shifted to the private sector is the Orlando- Sanford International Airport (SFB). Most airports prefer the private option as it is cost-effective, offers flexibility regarding hiring and better security. A study on Transportation and Infrastructure indicates that up to $1 billion could be saved in a period of five years, if the top airports were to adapt the SSP program. The question we all ask is, are we safe under TSA? Why should airports spend so much money on a program that has proven to be ineffective? There has been at least 5 attempted attacks on U.S airports since 9/11. With the TSA focusing on human resource and personnel, it is unclear whether they will be able to shield us from another attack like the one on September 11. Terrorists are now using advanced methods in carrying out attacks and screening is no longer enough to detect and prevent a security threat. As recent examinations prove, theterrorists are timeless. They keep changing their tactics, according to the evolving aviation industry. Terrorists have moved from hijacking planes to planting explosives using personnel on the inside.Part of TSA’s program to identify potential terrorists, is by using trained officers to observe the passengers’ behaviors also known as SPOT. The officers are trained to watch and the passengers and detect any suspicious behavior that might indicate involvement in terrorism acts.The new behavioral Detection Program as part of the screening process feels like a waste of time. Spotting a terrorist from their behavior is not an effective method. There has been no scientific research that has proven this method works. After being introduced in 2007, the SPOT program has been under scrutiny due to the absence of evidence that support its effectiveness. The program was TSA’s mitigation plan against terrorism. Its purpose was to discourage, discover and prevent any security threats posed by individuals to the public. Research carried out by GAO in determining effectiveness of the program, concludes that, the ability of humans to detect suspicious behavior can only be attributed to chance. The TSA should concentrate on investigating actual plots and actual known suspects rather than waste the tax payer’s money on profiling and reading into passengers behaviors. People get anxious and nervous all the time at airports, does it mean they are planning to carry out an attack? This method only raises false alarms at the airport and might be used by the terrorist to their advantage. It may be a ploy by the actual terrorist to distract the attention of the security agents while he/she plans the attack. Despite the concerns raised over the program, thousands of officers have been trained and deployed by TSA. This has cost the tax payers’ $900 million since the program was launched according to GAO. An article by winter (2015), revealed how the SPOT program was being misused by officers. This information was revealed through a statement by aformer officer who worked for TSA. The program does not identify actual indicators of security threats. It just gives the officers permission to harass passengers. The former officer claims the SPOT program has a lot of loopholes and only delays travelers. The Taxpayer’s money would be more useful in funding the police instead of TSA. References Winter, J. (2015). The Intercept. The Intercept. Retrieved 6 December 2015, from https://theintercept.com Inserra, D. (2015). CNS News. CNS News. Retrieved 6 December 2015, from http://www.cnsnews.com Kerley, D. (2015). ABC News. ABC News. Retrieved 6 December 2015, from http://abcnews.go.com Stewart, M. (2015). Airport security: astoundingly expensive and 95 percent ineffective. City Lab. Retrieved 6 December 2015, from http://www.citylab.com Read More