In the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, the US government recognized that the safety and security of aviation passengers should be predominantly a Federal responsibility. Legislation was created which Federalized that role – the Aviation and Transportation Security Act (ATSA). The ATSA allowed for the creation of the Transportation …show more content…
The recent attacks in Belgium and France as well as the shooting at LAX in 2013 serve as reminders of the potentiality of threats which fall under the responsibility of the TSA and that it is a task that cannot be completed alone. Federalizing security in the aviation industry is obviously a daunting task and each airport is its own community with varying strengths and deficiencies based on population, demographics and infusion of capital. There is not a one size fits all method to address the problem. This is why I think, the TSA should be advocating and facilitating more private contractors into security screening and should open up the ability for more airports to apply for private contractors. Today, there was an article describing how security at Chicago Midway International Airport was in complete disarray which was blamed on manpower shortages. While I can 't validate manpower shortages, I am aware that screening passengers can be time intensive given the number of people who fly. Physical security measures are best administered in layers, and in some instances, it is unnecessary for some precautions to be redundantly applied. For instance, liquid explosives may or may not pose the imminent threat it once did 8 or 9 years ago. For that reason, if intelligence has does not deemed it an existential threat, then screeners should change tactics to spot checks whenever practical. Airports managers are in a much better position to address the issues which are prevalent in their AOR and the laws are in place to ensure we have a professionalized workforce, be it public, private or a commingling of the two. With TSA acting in an administrative or advising capacity, airport managers might operate security