The Transportation Security Administration (TSA)

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.

Airport security in the post 9/11 era is designed to create the illusion of safety, without actually protecting us from terrorism. It is important to recognize, that the TSA is incredibly ineffective, at preventing prohibited items from getting past its gates. In a recent test at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, undercover federal agents successful snuck in 95 percent of explosive materials, fake weapons and drugs. While this failure rate is certainly alarmingly high it is by no way unique. In a similar, but slightly broader Homeland Security investigation, the TSA failed 67 out of 70 tests conducted by the department’s Red Team across a variety of cities. Furthermore, the layout of security at airports is incredible ineffective. According to renowned security expert, Rafi Sela, “security should happen in rings, so different teams can check each other’s work.” However, in American Airports the only place that security happens is at one checkpoint.

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

The current screening method is the body scanner which has been reported on multiple times by the news as it is consider invasive in nature. The screener is able to see the passenger’s nude image, but software updates have eliminated this providing only detection of metallic and nonmetallic threats. The prior method of a metal detector which did not alarm staff if nonmetallic threats existed allowed C-4 explosive (a clay type of explosive) to board the plan. The body scanners are quicker than the former methods of a “pat down”, which every passenger had to endure and were less invasive. This system will be used by the TSA until a better method is discovered, which will provide faster screening, more privacy to passengers and better detection of threats. The cost of this has rising over the years but it was the initial setup of the TSA in 2002 which cost the most since there was not an agency within this realm that completed these duties.

After losing 2,977 lives one fateful September morning, we realized we left the doors to our country wide open to attack. As a result, we ramped up our security and instituted new programs to combat terrorism to make ourselves invulnerable to similar attacks. But as the government began to develop programs within the National Security Agency (NSA) and the Transportation Security Agency (TSA) to prevent such an attack from ever happening again, the government began to infringe on the rights which were laid down in the Constitution by our founding fathers. Although the American government protected its people from another possible attack, the government itself attacked its own people by denying the rights which it formerly recognized.

A plane can no longer be boarded without everybody at least going through a body scan, a suitcase check, and the metal detector. In the article, an author explains that “...touchstones like putting laptops into plastic bins, a pat down, and a blaring reminder not to carry packages for strangers drive home the fact that the survival is at stake in the post-September 11th world.” Lives could be at risk so it is necessary to go through these procedures to make sure everybody on the plane will be safe. These invasive procedures have been accepted over the years. People have also accepted the fact that there are more than enough police officers and technology at public events. One of the authors state that “... physical security screeners see what’s in your bag and your pockets; aerial and digital surveillance sees

The agents of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) have become notorious for their insolence and ludicrous actions during bag checks and screenings. TSA agents have been known to cause many instances of harassment and other inconveniences to the average passenger. A TSA agent once admitted that the first question to ask to anyone in a wheelchair is if he is able to stand for a pat-down search. If someone is in a wheelchair, it is likely that he is unable to stand. Even when he is sitting, the TSA agent must ask him to move so that they can check under his bottom (“Confessions of a TSA agent: we’re all a bunch of airheads”, 2013). The TSA has caused inconveniences to passengers trying to board. Ashley Brant from Washington D.C. was told she may not be able to return home after a TSA agent told her that her District of Columbia ID was not valid because the TSA requires a state ID to board, and apparently, the U.S. district does not count as a state (Davis, 2014). There have been many instances such as those, resulting in the TSA becoming associated with absurd rules and incompetent employees. The TSA, established November 19, 2001, as a direct result of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, was designed to fortify the security of the nation’s transportation systems. The administration consists of approximately 50,000 officers, inspectors, air marshals, and managers who are supposed to provide adequate security for the nation’s modes of transportation and to

After 9/11/2001, things took place to help prevent any terrorist being able to use planes as a way of causing terrorist acts. After 9/11/2001 in November 2001, Transportation Security Administration was formed and the Aviation and Transportation Security Act was put into law. This act required screening that was going to be conducted by federal officials. TSA was to oversee all ways of transportation in the US. This is one way

IRTPA allowed the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to take over the pre-flight comparisons/screening of airline passenger information from several watchlists for international and domestic flights. TSA developed the Secure Flight program which was introduced in August of 2009 to matches passenger information against watch lists maintained by the federal government. Airline personnel were given the right to demand government-issued ID be shown if ordered by the TSA to do so, but those orders are to remain confidential so there is no oversight as to when the airline has been ordered to request ID and when they are requesting it on their own imperative

I chose TSA agar plate number 33 for my unknown ID. First, I made a streak plate of my bacteria in case I needed more later. Then, I performed the Gram’s stain. The Gram’s stain results were a very dark purple stain and small round clusters of bacteria. This led me to believe I had a Gram-positive cocci. Nothing went wrong with this test, the test was without a doubt positive (very dark purple), and I was very happy with how it turned out. With that information, and after looking at the Unknown ID flow chart directions given to us in the course, I decided to do a catalase test and dropped the 3% hydrogen peroxide straight on my original agar plate because there is no other option for cocci in this project, especially Gram-positive cocci. The

Before the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States the amount of security provided by the TSA inside airports around the world had been very modest towards the civilians. Searches and bag checks didn’t exploit the possible catastrophic events that could of happened prior to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. TSA officials have been intrusive and expressing pat downs and searches out of control. Being in an airport flying it’s very well invading the privacy of many individuals, the TSA needs to hesitate and control the department that they represent before searching multiple persons. For multiple people who are known to be innocent in airports nationwide and would not purpose a scene of harm, are being searched intensively instead of the mistrustful

Many years ago airport security was not even an issue. People felt secure and safe and rarely worried about being searched. As time went on, the prevealance of terrorism became an increasing issue. There began more acts of terrorism by threatening and holding hostages on board commercial planes. As these acts continued, the government as well as citizens became vulnerable and an airport safety procedure was implemented as a way to ensure the safety of the United States. The implemented procedures over the years included a check and scan of all carry on and checked baggage, body scans, hire government airport employees, and a strict list of carry-on items. This made travelers feel safer as it decreased the ability of terrorist to commit

“‘We are frequently reminded that our enemy is creative and willing to go to great lengths to evade detection,’ the director of the TSA, Kosketz said. ‘TSA utilizes the latest intelligence to inform the deployment of new technology and procedures, like the pat-down, in order to stay ahead of evolving threats’” (“Mad as Hell”).

This is simply one way that security can be achieved without hindering privacy. It is still necessary to check I.D. and do background checks on suspicious persons; however, it is not necessary to constantly berate innocent citizens. We have all experienced some type of frustration while going through the airport. While some of it is necessary to guarantee that we arrive safely; more often that not, it feels like an

As time gets closer for the travelers to go through the first checkpoint, their family and friends must go to a controlled exit door leading back to the trolley. The travelers may then use their cards, which have all of their information on it (plane ticket, identification) to gain entrance to the first checkpoint area. A bulletproof access sliding door controls this area. Once through the door the traveler proceeds down a hallway before coming to the checkpoint. Along the wall are televisions explaining what is about to happen at the checkpoint. There is no more TSA precheck line as everyone will go through the same screening. There may be some exceptions for elderly and disabled but most of the travelers will use the same type of lines. This type of line depends on the availability to create a full body and luggage scanner that is able to detect illegal items of a moving person. Each person will get in line one behind the other and load a conveyor belt system that moves them and their carry-on items through a large scanning system similar to the ones used to test large vehicles. If someone hits as having a possible un-cleared item then they must move to the side and escorted to a room to receive further screening. Those that cannot go through this type of scanning will follow a line that is similar to those already used today. They will have to remove items, place things in bins, go through old style scanning and/or pat downs, and