The slogan posted at the top of TSA blog website reads,
“Terrorists evolve. Threats evolve. Security must stay ahead. You play a part.”
In order to uphold their goal of lowering the risk of air travel, the TSA has implemented new and strengthened former security regulations.
In June 2007, the job of “Document Checker” was created. Trained Transportation Security Officers (TSOs) use black lights and magnifying glasses to check boarding passes and forms of identification, such as driver’s licenses or passports. These people are stationed at the head of every security checkpoint in every American airport. Since the inception of the program, these TSOs have uncovered “thousands of suspect, illegible or expired documents.”
Another new program that the TSA has created is Secure Flight. A recent TSA press release read, “TSA’s goal is to vet 100 percent of passengers on all domestic commercial flights by early 2010 and 100 percent of passengers on all international commercial flights into, out of, or over the U.S. by the end of 2010.” The airlines can now ask for a passenger’s name, DOB, and gender when making a reservation. This added information is used to crosscheck your information with international watch lists, such as the No Fly list, in order to prevent any suspect passengers from even getting a flight reservation.
While the job of Document Checkers may seem mundane, and has caused you frustration while traveling through an airport, their jobs are actually quite effective in stopping passengers with counterfeit papers. The Secure Flight Program is an up-and-coming process that will hopefully be effective in halting any and all passengers on watch lists from even getting close to an airport.