Transportation Security in the United States - Research Paper Example

Transportation Security in US The paper tries to highlight the major security changes which have occurred in the transportation system of USA after the attack of 9/11. The study of the security system of all forms of transportation was considered in the paper. Studies reveal that the transportation system of the country was strengthened massively with particular focus on the aviation. Special task was assigned to the Transport Security Administration to take care of all the issues of security relating to transportation. Major changes were observed in the aviation sector with increased attention towards the passenger screening and prohibiting carrying of certain substance. In terms of the security issues at port, the maritime transport act was introduced to provide more security in the ports and to decrease the case of smuggling and entry of terrorist. In road transport, the overall surveillance of the transport system increased considerably with implementation of technology to improve the security system. The transportation Security in USA has become matter of prime concern since the September, 11 attacks in the country. The US government dedicated their best efforts in increasing the security system of the country in every mode of transportation. As an initiative to make the transport system more secure, the Transportation Security Administration started operating under the US Department of Homeland Security. The primary objective of the agency was to provide safety and security to the traveling public based in the country so that any an incident like 9/11 does not occur again. Special task was assigned to develop policies to protect the overall transportation system in the country with a special focus on airport security and in the prevention of hijacking of aircrafts. The federal government also adopted special policies to look after the security issues in highways, roads, railways and in ports. Over the years the security in the transportation system have modified in a large extent to protect the common public. In the process of securing the transportation system the US government faced massive challenge in as providing security to hundreds of airports along with the sea ports and transit service proved to a daunting task. Research Question What changes have occurred to strengthen the security of the different segments of the transportation system in America post 9/11? Security system in aviation: Much of the responsibility for strengthening the aviation system was assigned to the TSA which came into existence just after the massive attack on world trade center. TSA was engaged with the screening process of the passengers and the property. In the newly reformed security system in aviation, explosive detection systems were deployed in the screening of the baggage’s of the passengers. Explosive trace detection equipment was also introduced at the airports. Alternative security arrangement also followed in the airports which included canine teams and hand searches. In order to ensure the cargo security, a database of known shippers were implemented at the airports which was the initial stage in the development of the cargo profiling system which would act in a similar fashion to that of the computer operated pre screening process of the passengers. Restrictions were imposed on carrying the toner cartridges of the laser printers following the cargo plane bomb plot in 2010. Towards the end of 2010, the screening system of the passengers were further enhanced with the introduction of the backscatter X ray and millimeter wave detection which had the capability to locate both metal and non metal weapons carried by the passengers. Special permissions were also provided by the government in checking various parts of the body of the passengers which included waistbands, groins and inner thighs. Passengers who have been alarmed in the metal detector had to undergo additional screening which involved body search for the detection of any concealed item which could raise sufficient threat. In order to prevent any probe in the security system of the aviation, the government also had passed the law which prohibits passenger to withdraw themselves from the screening process and passengers offering resistance to the screening process were subjected to civil penalties (Bragdon, 2008, p.125). Maritime security: Apart from strengthening the security system in the aviation sector, much importance was also given to highlight the vulnerability of the security at the ports. According to the security experts, the ports were the favored entry points for the terrorists and smuggling of weapons and other illegal material which can indeed harm the security of the nation. Besides the cargo ships and the cruise ships were also the desirable target for the various terrorist groups. Most of the ports of US were also located close to the industrial hubs and any breach of security could lead to massive loss of life and property (Vesky, 2008, p.13). In order to increase the security system at the US ports, risk assessments of the ports were carried out in regular basis which identified the infrastructure and the facilities which helped in the proper utilization of the boats of the coast guard, for harboring security patrols. New guidelines and security plans were also being implemented to increase the security of the passenger vehicles and the entrance and the exit terminals of the passengers. The vessels were obliged to provide information regarding the destination, the time of its arrival, and the details of the cargo within the vessel. This step incorporated by the government helped in the identification of the high importance vessels so that security arrangements were made stronger for such vessels. In security matters at the US ports the customs service and the Immigration and Naturalization Service delivered a crucial role. They were assigned with the responsibility of the security of the containers in the vessel and the proper screening of the persons entering the US through this mode of transport. Owing to the importance of the ports in US, from economic point of view, the government also implemented the Maritime Transportation Security act in 2002 to strengthen the ports from any vulnerability. The maritime transportation security act incorporated various strategies which includes the creation of the rapid response maritime teams and the transportation security cards for the passengers who have an access to the vessels on a regular basis. The most important part of the act was that it incorporated the automatic identification system of any threat in the vessels and also saw the emergence of a vessel tracking system. The US guard was assigned the responsibility of implementing the measures which have been mentioned in the act and to take steps so that no discrepancy sets in the system. Security in Road transportation: Security in the road transportation of US had been the most crucial as almost the whole of the population uses this mode of transport. Owing to the large number of people accessing the service, the implantation of proper security measures in this arena had been difficult. The vastness of the sector also contributed to the problem of implementation of the proper security system. The government had incorporated various precautionary measures in order to provide the citizen a safe place, following the 9/11 attacks. The screening process of the suspicious cars had increased at a rapid rate at places of importance. The general public had been made much more ware regarding the security issues they may have to face while traveling on road and necessary precautions had been suggested to them. The access control stations and vehicles had been enhanced and the surveillance system in the country had progressed rapidly. Special emphasis had been provided in the security of the parking lots and frequent checking of the cars was done in a regular manner. Cameras had been installed in the public vehicles and were being monitored so that any event of the security breach cannot take place. In most of the buses a panic button was installed which alerted the passenger in case of any suspicious activity observed with the help of the cameras (Wallace, 2010, p.139). Infrastructure of the security system within TSA: As TSA had been assigned the responsibility of taking care of the major security issues in the overall transportation of US, a proper funding of the agency needs to be done to yield better results. Though studies have reflected that TSA was instrumental in bringing major changes to the security system of the country in all three forms of transportation by incorporating correct strategies, still much up gradation in forms of technology and identification of the vulnerabilities needs to be done. The TSA also requires the manpower to implement strict security measures in the road transport system. The support from the federal government in every operation of TSA will further strengthen the overall security of the country. As more power has been bestowed on TSA in matters of controlling the security system, autonomy needs to be provided in the framing policies and regulations. Conclusion: The study of the transport security system in USA reflects that the country had undergone rapid transformation in matters of securing the transportation of the country post 9/11. Considering the overall structure of the transport system, much emphasis had been given in the aviation sector. The TSA which had been in charge of the transportation system have brought major changes in the security system of aviation by focusing more attention on the screening system and prohibiting the carry of certain elements with the passengers. The surveillance in the airport had been digitalized and automated and minute attentions were being provided to prevent any breach of security in the airports. In matters of security at the port, the passage of the Maritime Transportation Security act, 2002 had also strengthened the security systems in the ports. Careful attention had been provided to the screening of the passengers by the introduction of security cards and the goods in the cargo section were being regularly tracked to prevent the smuggling activities of the weapons. In matters of road transport, surveillance was increased at important check points and the passenger’s safety in the bus was being monitored by the cameras. Steps were also being taken to make the passengers aware of the safety issues which they can face. References Bragdon, C. R. (2008), Transportation Security, Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann Vesky, J. P. (2008), Port and Maritime Security, New York: Nova Publishers Wallace, C. E. (2010), Surface transportation security, New York Transportation Research Board Read More