Patting Down the TSA

Patting Down The TSA Before 9/1 1 happened our country was not as strict with security as we are today. You could once go through air travel without the hassle of having to go through full body scanners and taking off your shoes, belts, hat, etc. Ever since 9/1 1 our country has made a huge change in the security industry. They havent made many changes to buses, ships, and trains. Buses may have security cameras, but no one is checking people for bombs or weapons. Cargo ships get searched, but not to the extent they should be.

Tons of people ride the subway system in big cities such as New York and Chicago, but there is no security on the subway. Our country is so worried about air travel security that they do not put enough time and money into the other types of transportation security. "Transportation is often likened to the bodys circulatory system" (Kulash 5). The circulation of blood is essential for the human life. In the same way the circulation of goods and people is critical to keep society running smoothly. If people and goods are not circulated smoothly, then society will start to slowly fall apart.

Doctors remove blood clots and replace valves that have sprung leaks; transportation and logistics rofessional practice the same concept. They are used to keep the distribution system running by eliminating congestion and managing the flows of human traffic. Today there are new concerns about the transportation security (Kulash 5). September 1 1, 2001 shocked the United States by showing us exactly how dangerous our transportation system can be. It made us realize terrorists can make weapons out of any transportation vehicle.

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The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) recognized early on the threats that a terrorist can put on the transportation system. It is not Just an attack by terrorists we should worry about; we have a massive ransportation system that can go virtually anywhere. There are hundreds of thousands of people that are employed in the transportation department; an attack could also be an inside Job by an agents. They know how the security system works and could easily get by. Any company can ship goods all around the world on cargo ships, train, cars, and having every container, car, boxcar, and ship inspected would cause the flow to freeze.

The goods that are being shipped would take a very long time to get to their destination. The buyers would start to get angry about their goods not arriving on ime, and would stop buying the good from their supplier. The problem has to be solved by not slowing down the transportation flow. The transportation flow is how quickly and efficiently people and goods get from one place to another. Security is a top priority at the U. S Department of Transportation. Their goal is to come up with the most advanced technology and safest and smoothest way to run security. The range of discussions at the meetings are from inexpensive technological gizmos to sophisticated electronic systems, from common sense business practices to sophisticated end-to-end programs governing the entire supply hain" (Kulash 5). Their are many agencies and companies that have ideas they want to put in place, but they are weighing the costs and benefits, and assessing what really needs to be changed. As decisions get made at many levels, change may come. As they discuss more and more about these issues they will come to an agreement about what is best for the transportation security, and where they should put their time and money.

Airport security is the most secure type of public transportation. In the past people did not have to take their shoes or belts off, and they could even bring their drinks through security, but not anymore. Airport security has become more and more secure after the terrorist attacks on September 11 2001. Up until recently everyone had to take their shoes and belts off and throw their drinks away. Everyone is still required to throw any food or drink item they may have away. The TSA is becoming more lenient with older people and young children, so they no longer have to take their shoes off and can leave their Jackets on.

They feel that these two certain age groups are less likely to commit a terrorist attack. Now the airports have full body scanners that everyone has to step into. This is an upgrade for the TSA so that they an be absolutely sure that no one has any type of weapon on them. The airplane itself is also more secure by adding bullet proof doors to the cockpit, so only people with access to this door can get in. Security is a very time consuming and costly expense. Since 2001 there has been 57 billion dollars spent on the TSA. Most of the money is used by the airports.

The TSA is also not as trustworthy as most of us may think. There have been reports of agents stealing money, harassing passengers, and misuse of the money they are given for security. This table explains vey well the cost of security and exactly what he TSA does with the money and what they are doing wrong. Elliott, Christopher. "Patting Down The TSA. " Newsweek 159. 12 (2012): 16. As the table shows there is an awful lot of money that goes into airport security. It also shows how they are loosing money by the inconvenience of screening.

Everyone has to take everything off and out of their pockets when they go through a medal detector. Screening is enough for the airport security. It takes up more time and money to have the metal detectors there when the screeners see everything else. More money could be used for other types of transportation. Recommended Security Guidelines for Airport Planning, Design, and Destruction" is a book that describes all the guiltiness that airports and other types of transportation need to follow. 96 percent of this book is followed by airports and only 5 percent is tollowed by all other types ot transportations.

Security is virtually percent non-revenue overhead cost; every dollar spent on security is unavailable for new or upgraded facilities, operations, maintenance, manpower, public amenities etc (Kosatka 32). Security requirements are continually changing and the costs are out of the airport managements control. Buses, Trains, and ships do not have nearly the amount of security that airports do. Since there has been no terrorist attack in the United States on a bus, train, or ship, the transportation security administration does not feel the need to spend the time and money to keep these types of transportation very secure.

There has been talk about putting bag scanners on ships and trains. As they talk about this more scanners on trains and ships may come into play ( Frank 3a). Money is the most important part, so if the TSA put more money and time into the security of these types of transportation then they would be more secure. Other aspects of the airport may be at risk also. Fuel trucks, construction vehicles, catering equipment and air cargo could be dangerous if not thoroughly checked. Yes these people have all gotten background check, but someone could easily by-pass that.

Michael Boyd, president of the Boyd group international, an aviation consulting firm, says the solution is simple to keep these aspects of the airports secure. "Having a TSA run by trained security professionals at all levels, with total performance accountability' (Boyd 10a). Today there are Federal Security directors who have very little experience in this field. Boyd says, "We've also had TSA with zero background in security. " He is saying even though they have strong security there may be a chance a TSA agent with no experience may slip up and let something happen that they did not mean to happen.

They have become too concerned with finding things that can be used as weapons than identifying or deterring security threats (Boyd 10a). However, with these other types of transportation only following 75 percent of security guidelines Homeland Security Janet Napolitano says, "l plan to focus more on mass transit, possibly through redeployment of resources from other areas" (Frank a). She said that they have done a lot of work in that aviation department and could pay more attention to ground transportation.

Just before Napolitano took office she found that 37 out of 48 of the nations largest transit systems are not complying with the security guidelines. Paul Lennon, head of mass transit for the TSA, says, " there is no sanction for non-compliance" (Frank 3a). Major systems in big cities such as New York and Washington have greatly improved security while the other smaller agencies to do not see the need of urgency that the larger agencies see. Greg Hull, ecurity director for the American Public Transportation Association, says, "The industry knows it has difficulty fully complying with guidelines" (Frank 3a).

Hull said transit agencies simply need more money from the government to improve their security. Money is a huge part of security so, the TSA uses it to purchase new and more modern technology and hire more staff member. Without tons of money being poured into the transportation security industry the security would be very weak. They have used a lot of money for the updating technology and new ideas for the airports, but they have not put a lot of money into trains, buses, and ships. The more money these other services can get the better their security will be.

The subway system is a huge part ot public transportation in big cities. In major cities such as Boston, New York and Chicago people use more public transportation than in the smaller cities. These cities are so fast moving that putting extra security on them would slow everything way down. In New York City millions of people ride the subway every day. It is more efficient for people to take the subway than drive a car. There can be a high risk of an attack because these cities are so congested and everybody is moving so quickly. Because of this the subway systems are not very safe.

Putting security scanners on every subway system would cost the cities a lot more money and more taxes from the people. Most people do not like paying taxes and most would be very frustrated if they had to pay more for security. Some may argue that nothing terrible has ever happened on a subway to make security necessary on it. Everyones that takes the subway would have to change their routine. They would no longer get to where they are going fast. They would have to plan their schedules accordingly. No on really excepts security to be the best it can be.

No matter how much is spent on security, there will always be more that could be done. The challenge is whether or not where and how much security there should be. Wherever the line is drawn, we will have to live with the risk (Kulash 7). For example, everything that has been done to diagnose, prevent, and treat coronary heart disease, they still are America's number one killer. One in five Americans suffer from some form of coronary disease; 954,000 americans die each year from it (Kulash 7). It cost the United States 259 billion dollars each year in health costs and productivity losses (Kulash 7).

These numbers do not discourage medical progress, they encourage it. In the same way, exposure to transportation security risks will lead to new organizations, new technologies, and new system. Maintaining the flow of secure transportation has a down side. "Don't hold your breath and wait for a solution this will be evolving for years; improvements can and will be made" (Kulash 7). It is vital that the United States transportation system be kept running smoothly. U. S transportation and security have made incredible progress in the last twenty years. International trade and freight are expected to double in the next twenty years.

Excellent transportation capabilities will continue to spur the nations economic growth (Kulash 7). Just about everything in life needs money to operator or become better. Security gets better and better the more money that is poured into it, so more money needs to be put into other types of transportation. All types of transportation need to be as safe as possible. Money should not be an issue if it deals with saving a life. No one wants anything tragic to happen to their family so the TSA needs to do whatever it takes to take the security as far as it can go, because you cant put a price on family.

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