Bill Calls For Enhanced Training Of TSA Officers, Information
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In the waning days before Congress adjourns so that members
can campaign for re-election, U.S. Senators Tom Carper (D-DE)
(pictured, right) and Scott Brown (R-MA), both members of
the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee,
introduced legislation Wednesday they say will improve the safety
of American airports by enhancing air passenger screening programs
and bolstering state and local law enforcement partnerships
to deter terrorism. The Aviation Security Innovation & Reform
(AIR) Act seeks to standardize the training of the Transportation
Security Administration's (TSA) screening workforce by ensuring
that every Transportation Security Officer receives increased
baseline training nationwide and anti-terrorism training with
bi-annual re-certifications.
"I am proud to be introducing this important legislation which
would significantly enhance the Transportation Security
Administration's security efforts," said Sen. Carper, a senior
member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
Committee. "The attempted Christmas Day bombing of Northwest
Airlines flight 253 nearly a year ago was an important reminder
that there is still more work we can do to make our aviation
transportation sector more secure. As we work to improve our
aviation security efforts, recent attacks in London, Madrid, Moscow
and elsewhere remind us that terrorists are also targeting other
modes of transportation and we have to protect those vulnerable
transportation sectors as well.
"While it has been more than nine years since the 9/11 attacks
that sharpened our focus on fighting terrorism and protecting our
vulnerable infrastructure, we cannot let our defenses down and must
adapt as terrorists change their tactics. We must continue to
strengthen transportation security and make sure the men and women
at our nation's airports and other transportation centers have the
best training possible. To effectively detect the bad guys,
screeners must have the latest tools and most advanced training.
This bill bolsters the Transportation Security Administration's
screening programs and enhances state and local law enforcement
partnerships. As many have said before, the battle we're engaged in
is not one we can win with guns or tanks alone. It also won't be
won solely through the deployment of the latest screening
technology. We'll need to get smarter, adapt to the new
techniques of those who wish to do us harm, and invest in the
people on the front lines."
Senator Scott Brown (R-MA) You Tube Frame
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"As elected officials, our single-most important task is keeping
our country and citizens safe from terror attacks, and that is why
I'm pleased to introduce the Aviation Security Innovation and
Reform bill," said Sen. Brown. "Last year's Christmas Day bombing
attempt was a stark reminder that terrorists are still actively
plotting to kill our citizens, and we need to provide our law
enforcement officials the tools and resources they need to adapt to
the constantly evolving tactics of today's terrorists. I am
proud to say that Logan Airport has been a nationwide model for
aviation security these last nine years, and this legislation
incorporates many of those passenger screening techniques that have
been so successful. This is an important step toward bolstering our
homeland security and preventing terrorists from turning our
airports into battlefields as they plot their attacks."
Carper and Brown said in a joint news release announcing
the bill that the December 25th, 2009 attempted Christmas Day
bombing and other more minor events over the years which showed the
challenges TSA and its workforce face. Collectively, those events
caused TSA to spend billions on various types of passenger
screening technologies and other airport equipment. However, while
technology is an effective layer of security, it is only one layer,
and overtime technology and equipment can become dated. Investment
in personnel training is necessary to bolster passenger screening
and airport security.
They say the AIR act would address these issues by setting
higher performance standards for screeners and raising the minimum
training requirements to improve screeners ability to spot
potential terrorists. It would also create an office to coordinate
all of the behavior detection programs within TSA and the
Department of Homeland Security that help TSA personnel spot
terrorist suspects and other criminals without using expensive
technology. There are currently disparate programs throughout the
Department that study and implement behavior detection. This
bill would bring them together all under one roof. Lastly, it would
improve state and local law enforcement partnerships, which is
something that is crucial to thwarting terrorism plots.