Recent changes made by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) in 2022 were designed to keep the physical security of airports and planes themselves front and center. A recent article by Security Magazine sheds a spotlight on how these updates to TSA protocols were designed to bolster physical security.
When put in place, these efforts established “a new record in firearm interceptions” by TSOs (Transportation Security Officers) at airport checkpoints, for instance. More than 6,500 firearms were intercepted at the nation’s airport checkpoints. The agency reports 88 percent of those firearms were loaded.
To make sure firearm threats are reduced at the nation’s airports, the agency installed a penalty of a loss of TSA PreCheck eligibility for up to five years for those who are in possession of a firearm at a checkpoint. The maximum civil penalty for a violation of firearm possession was increased to nearly $15,000.
Additionally, more than 2 million passengers daily were screened across airports nationwide.
As with all sectors, the airline industry was hit hard by the global COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, TSA wanted to ensure that security was boosted, as Americans began to resume traditional travel behaviors.
The article states that TSA “provided airport screening at or near pre-pandemic travel volumes” even though the past year saw several major disruptions from weather events around the country. The agency also improved their cybersecurity capabilities and “continued to test and deploy new technologies that improve security effectiveness, efficiency, and the passenger experience.”
The TSA made sure to meld tried-and-true physical security protocols with state-of-the-art technology.
They used 534 credentialed authentication technology (CAT) units for security checks to reduce physical contact made by agents, instituting 243 computed tomography (CT) X-ray scanners at airport checkpoints. To make this all run as smoothly as possible, Security Magazine reports that the 2023 Omnibus Bill that just passed “will enable technology deployments to continue across the agency’s nearly 2,400 security checkpoint lanes.”
As air travel continues to keep up with pre-pandemic levels, it’s important that physical security be as rigorous as possible. The article points to the fact that TSOs screened 736 million passengers over the course of 2022.
In the same way that physical security is crucial for financial institutions, schools, and healthcare systems, it’s important that travelers feel as secure as possible when boarding a plane. The TSA’s emphasis on improved physical security protocols is essential, and something that will only continue to be centered as 2023 progresses.