6.2 Legislative Acts
Aviation and Transportation Security Act
On September 11, 2001, approximately nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airplanes in a terrorist attack on the Twin Towers of the World Center. This was an extremely tragic event in the United States, following this attack, airport security improvement was a key feature of global anti-terrorism efforts. On November 18 and 19 2001, the United States Congress enacted an act called the Aviation and Transportation Security Act. The goal of this act was to standardize pre-flight passengers and cargo screening by decentralizing security services and screening personnel in airports. Prior to the Aviation and Transportation Security Act, airport security guidelines and procedures were quite general and imprecise. Therefore, this act was truly essential to the aviation industry because it created what now we call the Federal Transportation Security Administration or TSA (National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, 2003). The TSA, which is now an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security but was formerly part of the Department of Transportation, is a way to protect the nation’s transportation system (TSA, n.d.). Uniformed transportation safety officers at every airport examine passengers and luggage, they look for any prohibited materials. Airport security and employees also review passenger lists and view those who could be potential threats. Americans have had to experience substantial changes in their travel habits and have seen the entire field of criminal justice change since 2001. The Aviation and Transportation Security Act changed the way the aviation industry operated and how passengers travel, but it helped tremendously get past an evident point of fear and ensure those of their safety.
References:
National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States. (2003). First public hearing
of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States.
Transportation Security Administration (TSA). (n.d.). About: Mission.
https://www.tsa.gov/about/tsa-mission
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