TSA Jobs
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is the agency in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security which protects our country’s transportation. According to Wikipedia the TSA was formed as part of the Aviation and Transportation Security Act in November of 2001 in response to the 9/11 terror attacks. The TSA was originally a part of the U.S. Department of Transportation but it was transferred in 2003 to The Dept of Homeland Security. The headquarters of the TSA are in Pentagon City, Arlington County, Virginia. In 2009 the TSA eemployed 56,221 people and had a yearly budget of $8.1 billion.
People who hold TSA jobs are responsible for security on airplanes, boats and all other types of transportation in the U.S. You will also be part of the team that is the agency in the U.S.A. for security at airports, ports, and railroads across our country. This is not a job to be taken lightly. If you want to apply for TSA jobs you had better care about protecting your country and its citizens.
TSA Jobs Information
Before “9/11” security screening was done by private companies that had contracts with major airlines. Today there are still some private security firms which provide security for the TSA but they now must report to the TSA. The TSA believes that they have two main functions; airport security and preventing the hijacking of planes. The TSA are the ones responsible for screening people and baggage at 450 airports in America. They also oversee security for all other types of transportation in the U.S. but their main work is airport and airplane security. There are 45,000 people with TSA jobs who work as Transportation Security Officers (TSO’s), also known as “screeners”. They screen people and baggage and are in charge of guarding entry and exit points to the airports. These types of TSA jobs have a starting salary of appx $29,000 a year.
Being a Federal Air Marshal is another example of a TSA job. A Federal Air Marshal sits on a plane without a uniform. No one knows who he/she is. He/she is there to detect and stop potential terrorists from attacking or hijacking a plane.
The TSA also employs appx 1500 Transportation Security Inspectors. They inspect passenger and cargo systems of transport to make sure that they are secure.
Another type of TSA jobs is with the National Explosives Detection Canine Team Program.They have trainers who train dogs and their handlers to quickly find dangerous materials mostly at airports but also on mass transit.
The TSA also offers jobs as Behavior Detection Officers. They observe the behavior of passengers going through security checkpoints to see if anyone is acting suspiciously. If they are concerned with the behavior of any passenger they may need to bring in police officers for assistance.
In September 2008 all TSA employees began to wear uniforms. There are stripes on the shoulder of the uniform . The number of stripes indicates if the employee is a standard Transportation Security Officer(TSO), a lead TSO or a supervisory TSO.
More about TSA Jobs
You had better beware when flying as to what you put in your luggage because the TSA will go through it if they are suspicious at all and it will not be a pretty sight. Did you know that the TSA has the right to break the lock on your suitcase if they can’t get it open? They can rip it open or cut it. And then they just put a sticker on your luggage with a disclaimer that says that they needed to inspect your luggage but couldn’t open it so they broke it, looked through the contents, put them back in the suitcase and are not responsible for any damages. Can you imagine that?
After the “cargo planes bomb plot” last month, passengers are no longer allowed to carry on or put in their luggage toner or ink cartridges weighing over 16 oz. This should not affect general passengers but it may cause a lot of difficulties for importers of laser printing supplies because their toners usually weigh more than 16 oz.
This month the TSA started new screening procedures which include a full body pat down which is performed by a Transportation Security Officer of the same gender as the passenger. People are complaining that this new procedure is too invasive because the pat down is too thorough. You only have to go through the pat down if you refuse the backscatter x ray scan. Many are refusing the backscatter x ray because they are concerned that it gives off too much radiation. No one can prove yet whether that is or is not true.
If you work for the TSA you’ll probably have a lot of people who are not too fond of you especially when you are just doing your job. But there are many jobs that one could have which may not make you too popular. If you are a teacher your students may not like you. So if you are interested in TSA jobs you should not let unpopularity prevent you from getting a good secure job. You may want to know more about TSA jobs and exactly what the TSA’s employees job and responsibilities are to the people of our country.