Airport Security in the US - Term Paper Example

 Airport Security in the US Before the 1970s, the United States had very little airport security measures to curb insecurity issues such as aircraft hijackings. In 1970, the department of sky Marshals was created to beef up security in airports. The Marshals worked with private companies to oversee the screening processes on passengers and baggage. The attacks that rocked the US on September 11, 2001 were a major blow to security in the country. After the September 11 attacks, what most Americans fear most in terms of security is a breach in security on their own home soil (Pimentel and Evangelista, 2001). These attacks prompted the US government to act fast to create stringent security laws that would ensure that the people of America were well protected. In the month of November 2001, the United States Congress created the Transportation Security Administration, commonly referred to as the TSA, under the Aviation and Transportation Act. The TSA is under the Department of Homeland Security and it is the body that holds the responsibility of overseeing security in all modes of travel and transportation. Airport security and aircraft hijacking are some of the organization’s top objectives (Caldwell, 2008). Homeland Security is the body that is tasked with maintaining security in all of the United States. TSA as part of the Homeland Security department is responsible for maintaining security in all modes of transport, most importantly at the airports. Some of the duties of the TSA as an airport security body are explained below. The TSA Among its other duties, the TSA was expected to come up with policies that would ensure that there was complete security in the US air traffic. The organization is responsible for the screening processes carried out in various airports. Both the passengers and their baggage are screened under the authority of TSA. The organization has employed about 45,000 screeners or Transportation Security Officers to carry out the screening process (Wells, 2004). Luggage theft is common in many airports across the US. The work of the TSA, according to Wells, also includes ensuring that luggage in airports is as secure as possible. The organization collaborates with other private and federal security agencies to ensure that screening and luggage security guidelines are followed without a problem. According to Tabler (2010), the TSA should be privatized if it is to carry its duties to the satisfaction of Americans. He says that most people are wary of the security breaches that happen in the airports where TSA does the screening. According to Tabler, the problem with TSA at the present is that it is run by the government which not all Americans have confidence in. if it was privatized; Tabler says that airport security would be better than it is at the moment. Other criticisms that have dogged TSA include taking part in what is termed as Security Theater. This is when the officers pretend to have a security situation when in fact they are just staging an act. There have also been a lot of complaints about theft organized by the staff of TSA. The detection levels of the machinery used by TSA officers is said to be below the acceptable standard, given that the US is a top terrorist target (Wells 2004). Other complaints leveled against TSA include intense and invasive screening procedures and a lot of mistreatment of passengers. There have also been reports of sexual harassment cases by the department’s employees. Other problems that the TSA has gone through include failure of secret security tests, the loss of employee records and website flaws. All these problems have led to the deterioration of security at major checkpoints within the airports in the US (Burgess, 2010). Airport Security in Other Parts of the World Other countries have also put in place stringent measures to help curb insecurity issues at their airports. Most of these countries have experienced some form or the other of a terrorist attack. And they have therefore come up with high level security plans to keep off terrorists and other suspects. Canada The Canada Air Transport Security Authority is responsible for overseeing that all airports are secure of terrorists and luggage thieves. CATSA uses hi tech equipment such as x-ray machines, metal detectors as well as Explosive Trace Detection equipment to screen passengers and luggage. The X-ray machines are used to detect any unwanted items in all carry on baggage. All baggage has to be x-rayed even if it has already gone through the normal check points. CATSA also exercises thorough physical searches on the passengers before they board their planes (Pimentel and Evangelista, 2001). According to Pimentel and Evangelista (2001) CATSA, just like TSA, relies heavily on third party security providers to provide maximum security in Canadian airports. In 2007, the organization introduced the Restricted Area Identity Credential program which requires each of the airport employee to be issued with cards containing their fingerprints and eyes scans. Security in the places surrounding Canadian airports is provided by the local police. Singapore The country operates on two international airports, the Singapore Changi Airport and the Seletar Airport. Security in both of these airports is provided by the Singapore Police Force through the Airport Police Division. Changi airport has been named before as a possible terrorist target thus a lot of security measures have been implemented to curb any trace of terrorism (Pimentel and Evangelista, 2001). Pimentel and Evangelista say that the airport’s terminal is normally under 24-hour surveillance. Two soldiers and a policeman man the area, fully armed with machine guns. Travelers from the country are normally checked at the gate of the airport. The screening is normally done through the use of metal detectors and x-ray machines. All luggage screening is carried out behind closed doors. There are plans to have the Changi International Airport installed with around 400 security cameras. Hong Kong This tiny Asian nation is considered to have the safest air travel plan in the world today. Security at the airports falls under the jurisdiction of the Hong Kong Police Force as well as the Aviation Security Company. Security officers from the Airport Security Unit are normally stationed around the airport. These officers are usually armed with some H&K MP5 A3 Submachine guns (Caldwell, 2008). All airport personnel are normally checked by the Aviation Security Company. The major threat to Hong Kong security comes from drug smugglers. The department of customs and Excise is tasked with carrying out through checks of passengers who are entering or leaving the country. The screening, according to Caldwell this is done through x-ray and metal detectors. The passengers are not allowed to carry any liquid that exceeds 100 ml into their planes. The United Kingdom In the UK, air security is provided by the Department for Transport. The UK understands that it is at a high risk of terrorist attack due to its close ties with the US, which is very vulnerable to the attacks. The Multi Agency Threat and Risk Assessment scheme was developed in 2004 to ensure that there was no terrorist threat in any of UK’s airports (Sweet, 2008). Some of the airport security rules include not allowing passengers to board a plane with bags that are larger 56 cm long, 45 cm wide and with a depth of more than 25 cm. the passengers are also not allowed to carry liquids that are more than 100 ml past the security checks. All the bags in the airports are screened using x-ray technology (Burgess, 2010). Sweet also adds that all the passengers is also required to walk through metal detectors and they are randomly checked before they board their planes. Apart from the usual checks of passports and other identifications, the airports normally carry though checks on suspects before they leave the country. Israel’s Airport Security Israel practices what is considered to be one of the best security measures in the world. The security at the Ben Gurion Airport is so tight that there has never been plane hijacking since 1969. However, there was an attack by the Red Army of Japan terrorist group in 1972 that prompted the country to tighten security in and around the airport (Dorey, 1983). Part of the airport screening carried out by Israeli Officers involves racial profiling. People who look like Arabs or those who have Arabic names go through a much more thorough inspection and interrogation than the rest. This maybe can be explained by the fact that Israel has had a long running hate relationship with the Arabic countries that it borders. Everyone, even non-Arabs, has to have a satisfactory answer as to why they are traveling to Israel (Pimentel and Evangelista, 2001). The travelers have to go through a series of questions whose aim is to check for inconsistencies in the information given relating to their reasons for travel. Screening for travelers leaving Israel is done through a computerized list. This list is connected to the Interpol and the Israeli Police network to help identify terrorists and other suspects who might be leaving the country without fulfilling the legal requirements (Caldwell, 2008). Israel has been able to keep off terrorists despite the fact that most terrorist groups live very near the country. For some time now, the US government has been using Israel’s Airport Security model to help their own. Some States in the country have already started implementing Israeli-like security measures in their airports. These include the Los Angeles Airport and the Port of Oakland. The San Diego County Regional Airport Authority has also embarked on the incorporation of Israeli safety tactics in its airports (Gaddis, 2004). Conclusion It is very apparent that even after the September 11 attacks, the US remains vulnerable to other forms of attacks carried out by terrorists and other people. A lot can be done to remedy the situation. TSA Training The department that has been tasked with keeping US airports safe is apparently not doing its job to the satisfaction of many people (Tabler, 2010). Time and time again, there are reports of terrorists being arrested after they have gone through the security checks in the airport. One of the main solutions for laxity within the TSA is proper training. According to Wells, TSA security officers need to be trained on how to use hi tech equipment to detect suspects. They should also be trained on how to check for inconsistencies in the information provided by the passengers. The officers should know how to look for the signs showing that a passenger might be a terrorist. Privatization of the TSA Some people disregard the importance of the TSA because of the sole reason that it is run by the government. it is not enough that TSA combines its security efforts with private companies. If the government of the day is an unpopular one, it is likely that most of its institutions will be unpopular as well. This brings up the question of whether TSA should continue being part of the government. Privatization will ensure that the department runs free of political interventions. This will also help create a security body that is more serious with its work since the officers will held personally liable for any security breach that happens in any of the airports (Tabler, 2010). Conclusion The TSA should start taking its duties quite seriously if it is to gain the confidence of the people of the US. There should be no cases of Security Theater or security flaws that will make the country vulnerable to terrorist attacks. The officers should know that what they are doing is for the security of their fellow Americans (Wells, 2004). According to Sweet (2008), the security checks should include the areas surrounding the airports not just inside the airports. This will be very effective in curbing insecurity that is likely to be caused by internal terrorists. Screening equipment also need to be hi tech in order to detect the smallest bomb or any other item that may cause a threat to national security in the country. References Burgess, P. J. (2010) The Routledge Handbook of New Security Studies, Routledge, London. Caldwell, C. (2008) First-Class Privilege, New York Times Magazine, retrieved January 26 from: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/11/magazine/11wwln-lede-t.html?_r=1 Dorey, F. C. (1983) Aviation Security, Van Nostrand Reinhold Publishers, London. Gaddis, J. L. (2004) Surprise, Security, and the American Experience, Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Pimentel B. and Evangelista B. (2001) Tech vs. Terrorism. Chronicle News, retrieved 26 January from: http://articles.sfgate.com/2001-09-17/business/17619794_1_international-biometric-group-raj-nanavati-partner-invision-technologies Sweet, K. (2008) Aviation and Airport Authority: Terrorism and Safety Concerns, 2nd Edition, CRS Press, London. Tabler, J.E. (2010) How To Stop Terrorism in the Skies? Privatize the TSA, David Horowitz’s Newsreal, Retrieved January 26 from http://www.newsrealblog.com/2010/01/11/privatize-the-tsa/ Wells, T. A. and Rodrigues C.C. (2004) Commercial Aviation Safety, Mcgraw Hill Professional Publishers. Read More