Airport Security

The tragedy of 9 /11 increased the level of concern with regards to airport security . Despite having hi-tech security measures in place terrorists still found a loophole in the system . With thousands of people traveling by air every day , it is only necessary that security measures that are in place be modified and improved to better ensure passenger safety and to prevent tragedies such as 9 /11 from reoccurring

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA , an agency formed under the Department of Homeland Security , is in charge of handling security of transportation systems

in the United States . At TSA , and as should be with any other similar groups all over the world , focus on people and technology working well together is needed to be able to guarantee protection in our airports . Enhanced people training and technology innovation has been used to reinforce security measures

TSA implements a systems approach in ensuring airport security . In the very core of this approach , we find that they have defined four security watch points : Reservation Process , Airport Security , Security Checkpoint and Airplane Security . This is what they refer to as the TSA Layers of Security ( TSA Approach , n .d . At the first layer is the pre-screening of passengers wherein names are screened against the No-Fly List , a list of people banned from boarding an aircraft . One important technology that has been developed is the Computer Assisted Passenger Screening Program (CAPPS . The system makes a risk assessment of the traveler based on personal data provided during flight reservation . Travelers put at a higher risk level are placed under further screening . At the second layer is where we find bomb-sniffing dogs , CCTVs and Law Enforcement Officers . In recent years , we would have noticed their increased visibility in our airports considering the increase in bomb threats and terrorism . These dogs and officers are highly trained to detect bombs and chemicals that might be brought in Tyson and Grabianowski (2001 ) further include fences , barriers and walls , referring to these as the first line of defense . At the next layer we find traveler and baggage checks . Apart from the passport , we learn from Tyson and Grabianowski (2001 ) that some airports are using biometrics (i .e . retinal scans , fingerprinting ) for identification . For TSA , they have a program called Screening Passengers by Observation Techniques (SPOT ) wherein airport security officers identify and analyze the behaviors exhibited by individuals that may be indicative of a threat . Metal detectors are used to find any weapons the traveler might be carrying and the x-ray systems are used to scan baggages . Newer technologies include the Backscatter that can see through clothes Millimiter Wave that has a lower resolution than the Backscatter and CastScope that can see through casts and prosthetics . Tyson and Grabianowski (2001 ) identify more baggage screening systems . A Computer Topography (CT ) Scanner is used to scan suspicious bags . Larger x-ray systems such as mobile and fixed site x-ray systems are used for cargos For lockers and unattended baggages , biological /chemical sniffers are sometimes used to...