Airport Security Changes since September 11, 2001
Abstract
In this paper, I will try to demonstrate how drastically the security in airports has changed since the attacks occurred on September 11, 2001. September 11 is a day that probably every single person on this earth either remembers or at least knows about. The airports have had some of the biggest changes in how humans travel this earth. Every country has their own way of securing their airports, but they all have made changes in some way, shape or form. The question I have recently asked myself is; are these changes actually going to keep us safe when we fly? Can anyone really answer this question with 100 percent truthfulness? I personally do not think it is a question
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Another measure TSA took was to add body scanners to security. These scanners can see what a person is carrying underneath their clothes. There have been a few different designs to this machine due to some lawsuits in the past brought up because the TSA agents were making fun of a man’s gentile size or certain passengers would feel embarrassed because someone can see their bodies. Now what the TSA agent sees is an outline of the passenger’s body and whatever is on the body. The body scanner does not show a naked person anymore. In certain parts of the world, a retinal scanner was added at the security area. A passenger could go through a different security line and allow the scanner to read their eyes and be sent through without being searched, taking off shoes and coats or even removing their computers from their bags. In order to be able to receive this luxurious security check, a person would have to send in extensive forms to the government. These forms would tell the government everything about the person in order to do the extensive background check. And this takes time as well. You cannot expect for this to happen overnight. Not only does this take time and extensive checks, but it also costs money. It will cost someone about a hundred dollars to be even considered for this security check. The retinal scanner is not used in all airports. Most of them are actually located outside the
Just recently there has been uproar over airport security and the use of body scanners on passengers. After 9/11 many airlines have toughen up their security measures in order to prevent this tragic accident to ever occur again. In order to improve security and make our lives a lot safer airlines have implemented many different types of technology. Technology aids airline security to see what passengers are possibly carrying under their clothing. Making passengers go through X-Ray screenings can not only prevent passengers from boarding a plane with harmful equipment but it can also deter the thought of someone actually making an attempt to board while carrying a weapon. Other technological advancements such as surveillance cameras are being
Nonetheless, privacy groups, such as the American Civil Liberties Union (ALCU), continue to express concern over potential intrusion on individual rights and alleged cases of sexual harassment and abuse of passengers, particularly female passengers, by TSA screeners. These concerns, however, raise a significant challenge for the TSA: to maintain high levels of security, which require resolving all alarms and screening in detail those passengers ascertained to pose an elevated security risk, while maintaining the privacy rights and dignity of passengers identified for these secondary
The federal government assured the public that pictures would not be recorded and saved from these machines. That is not the case. The scanner that was uses in a Florid courthouse showed the actual “people side-by-side with their X-rayed selves” (Allahpundit). Why did the government outright lie to the public? To save their own asses, of course. This is in direct violation of the Fourth Amendment. The amendment gives people the right to be secure in their persons against unreasonable searches. I believe the scanning of humans and taking pictures of their faces violates this. Shockingly, former TSA security director, Mo McGowan, openly stated on fox news that “Nobody likes to have their 4th Amendment violated going through a security line, but the truth of the matter is, we’re going to have to do it” (Left Coast Rebel). Excuse me? Did this man actually say this in public? It’s not shocking that he’s no longer the security director.
According to Jason Villemez of the PBS News Hour, there were immediate changes to airport security following 9/11. Within 2 months of the attacks, the Aviation and Transportation Security Act was passed. This law requires that every single bag is screened at airports andrequires that certain procedures are followed at every airport (Swickard). Before 9/11, scissors, baseball bats, darts, and 4-inch-long blades were allowed, but these are now illegal under the ATSA (O’Connor). The Aviation and Transportation Security Act also created the Transportation Security Administration known as the TSA (Tognotti). Each airport had to supply their own security before 9/11, but with the creation of the TSA, the government supplied security for airports (Villemez). Gabi Logan of USA Today found that the increase in security including baggage checks caused a six percent decrease in the number of passengers. Passengers chose not to travel at all or found a different way to get to their destination. While security in airports was significantly increased, 9/11 also affected millions of Americans involved in the war on terror”.
“After 9/11, the airport security became very strict and has over time, tried to become more efficient and practical for travelers.” said Jotterand.
The September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks forever changed the way our air travel industry operates. It affected the government, the airlines, airports, employees, and passengers alike. There was not as much of a threat of terrorism before 9/11, so airport security was not nearly as thorough, and at times intrusive as it is today. Through the creation of the Department of Homeland Security and the Transportation Security Administration, the evolving threat of terrorism has not been successful in carrying out another 9/11 style attack.
If you have ever traveled on an airplane before, you would be familiar with the Transportation Security Administration, or more commonly known as the TSA. Founded in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks initially under the Department of Transportation and later placed under the Department of Homeland Security all in the name of making air travel safer for Americans. They are most commonly known for making you take off your shoes, separate your liquids, and walk through body scanners. Keep in mind that those are only the least invasive things that you may be subjected to while passing under their watchful (or perhaps not-so watchful) gaze. Many Americans will gladly accept these invasions of privacy as a necessity on the path to safer travel for themselves and their fellow travelers through thwarting potential terrorists. But the harsh reality of it is that the TSA does not
Before the 9/11 attacks, which changed how we travel, airport security was minimal, with just X-rays and metal detectors. No one got a body search, and almost no one’s carry on bag got checked. No aircraft was required to shut the cockpit door, and air marshals weren 't everywhere, only 33 Federal Air Marshals were active on 9/11. Friends and Family were authorized to go all the way to the gate, and people were allowed Swiss Army Knifes on flights. Everyone could arrive just minutes before a flight and no-one would be concerned.
Following the attacks of 9/11 the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has implemented ample amounts of programs that bolster the overall transportation security environment. For example, the employment of Air Marshals, surface/aviation transportation security inspectors, Behavioral Detection Officers, Transportation Security Officers, local law enforcement, security personnel, and even canine teams have been introduced to enhance detection capabilities (Forest & Howard, 2013). More importantly, improving screening protocols for checked luggage, carryon items, and cargo screenings were all vital developments. In order to properly screen all previously mentioned items, increased funding for enhancing security technology systems was a priority (Forest & Howard, 2013). For example, TSA uses various x-ray devices to provide advanced imaging technology to screen for metallic and non-metallic threats, including weapons and explosives, which may be concealed under clothing (Forest & Howard, 2013). All of which, allow mass transits infrastructure such as airports to mitigate potential
Body: Air travel is a fast and convenient way to reach a destination. Even if many passengers may complain of missed flights, delays during the holidays, and the number of carry-ons they are allowed to bring onto the plane, air travel is an important part of quick transportation. One essential part of the airport system is security. Today, security is a major priority that airports must administer strictly. Due to the recent terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, airports along with airlines want their customers to feel safe. An interest in airport security took me to the Tallahassee Regional Airport. Except for the
The terrorist attacks on September 11, 2011 prompted the world to reevaluate and drastically modify airport and airline security. “Four targets had been chosen, all iconic American buildings that would send a clear message of the depth of their hatred for the United States. All four planes crashed, killing all on board—terrorists, crew members, and passengers, along with hundreds who were killed inside the structures, on the ground, and the men and women who ran into collapsing buildings in an effort to try and save others” (Smutz 1). As Jason Villemez said “the decade after the 9/11 attacks reshaped many facets of life in America” (Villemez 1). Before the attacks, people did not think that large scale hostility towards innocent people in
The September 11th attacks have had a profound effect on American history. Often referred to as “9/11”, these attacks were comprised of a group of organized terrorists known as Al-Qaeda. This extreme Islamic group assaulted several landmarks in New York City, Washington D.C, and the state of Pennsylvania. In New York City, two airliner jets were hijacked with passengers aboard and slammed into the World Trade Center. “The next attack resulted in a plane colliding into the Pentagon, government building; the last attack was in Pennsylvania when a plane crashed into a field. In total, 3,000 people died on September 11th, 2001” (History.com Staff). The September 11th-attacks have affected airport security by the new training of flight attendants, the formation of the Transportation Security Administration and new technical advances to keep up with increased terror threats.
The TSA, however, tries to assure passengers that the images produced are blurred which means the passengers being screened cannot be recognized. It further emphasized that the images are not recorded. In response to this, the Islamic Human Right Commission (IHRC), a non-profit research and advocacy organization based in London, says “The fact that a person’s facial features cannot be identified does not mean that the images are any less invasive. The images still show the person’s body in graphic detail where intimate piercing, catheters and all the parts of the person’s body (including those that a person would normally wish to keep private) are seen by the screener. This is gross invasion of privacy.” If these images are truly not archived, the question is where is the images uploaded on the internet are gotten from. (Bello-Salau 668)
September 11, 2001 marked the most horrific day in history for United States of America. The events of this day changed the lives of those residing in America forever. United States was considered somewhat safe, in regards to terrorists’ attacks. However, this all came to a screeching halt when 19 militants known to be a part of the Al-Qaeda terrorist group hijacked four planes for the purpose of destroying targeted areas in the United States. As a result of the deadly attack on the United States, security measures drastically changed. Although, security measures throughout the United States have been in place, extreme caution came into effect. All departments looked at different measures to improve preventing terrorists’ attacks.
The September 11th terrorist attacks in New York City was one of the worst terrorist attacks recorded in U.S history. Before the bombings the workers who were in charge of screening both people and their luggage were often unable to find any threats. If airport security had been at the level that it is today it is possible that this attack could have been prevented. Since then airport security has had a major increase in scannings and what you can now bring on a plane. This is how airport security has been intensified since the bombings on September 11, 2001.