Changes

With state, local and regional partners, TSA oversees security for the [[highway]]s, [[railroad]]s, [[bus]]es, [[mass transit]] systems, ports and the 450 U.S. [[airport]]s.  TSA employs approximately 50,000 people from [[Alaska]] to [[Puerto Rico]] to ensure your travels – by plane, train, automobile or ferry – are safe and secure.

With state, local and regional partners, TSA oversees security for the [[highway]]s, [[railroad]]s, [[bus]]es, [[mass transit]] systems, ports and the 450 U.S. [[airport]]s.  TSA employs approximately 50,000 people from [[Alaska]] to [[Puerto Rico]] to ensure your travels – by plane, train, automobile or ferry – are safe and secure.

== History ==

== History ==

The TSA was formed immediately in the events following in the aftermath of the [[September 11th, 2001 attacks]] in [[New York City]] and [[Washington D.C.]]. It was officially established upon the signing of the Aviation and Transportation Security Act by President [[George W. Bush]] on November 19, 2001. The TSA (at the time, a part of the [[U.S. Department of Transportation]]) was founded as a replacement for the Federal Security Division of the [[Federal Aviation Administration]] (FAA), which previously oversaw the contraction and execution of security screening procedures in airports nationwide prior to 9/11. Prior to the September 11th attacks, the FAA had supervised the contracting out by individual airports with various Security companies in order to utilize the company's Security Officers to screen passengers and their luggage at airport security checkpoints, a practice which had been in place since the 1970's when [[metal detector]]s were first introduced in airports following an upstage in international aircraft hijackings. Following the events of 9/11 and the founding of the TSA, the new administration had originally attempted to retain the privately-contracted officers for use in nationwide airports while, at the same time, still requiring that all of the contracted security companies abide by a brand new uniform set of rules and policies implemented by the TSA (as a response to 9/11) including the requirement that passengers who set off the metal detector be given a full body pat down by a security officer, no larger then 3-ounces of liquid may be brought onto the plane, and only ticketed passengers with a valid-government issued form of ID be permitted past the security checkpoint. However, when difficulties arose with the management of implementing the new uniform set of policies between various private Security companies who had contracts with the airports, the TSA made the decision in late 2001 to let go all of the privately employed security officers from airports nationwide, and instead replace them with the administration's own federal team of security screeners. TSA Security Screeners first began appearing in airports in February 2002, and had completely replaced all of the privately-employed screeners by the end of the year.  

The TSA was formed immediately in the events following in the aftermath of the [[September 11th, 2001 attacks]] in [[New York City]] and [[Washington D.C.]]. It was officially established upon the signing of the Aviation and Transportation Security Act by President [[George W. Bush]] on November 19, 2001. The TSA (at the time, a part of the U.S. [[Department of Transportation]]) was founded as a replacement for the Federal Security Division of the [[Federal Aviation Administration]] (FAA), which previously oversaw the contraction and execution of security screening procedures in airports nationwide prior to 9/11. Prior to the September 11th attacks, the FAA had supervised the contracting out by individual airports with various Security companies in order to utilize the company's Security Officers to screen passengers and their luggage at airport security checkpoints, a practice which had been in place since the 1970's when [[metal detector]]s were first introduced in airports following an upstage in international aircraft hijackings. Following the events of 9/11 and the founding of the TSA, the new administration had originally attempted to retain the privately-contracted officers for use in nationwide airports while, at the same time, still requiring that all of the contracted security companies abide by a brand new uniform set of rules and policies implemented by the TSA (as a response to 9/11) including the requirement that passengers who set off the metal detector be given a full body pat down by a security officer, no larger then 3-ounces of liquid may be brought onto the plane, and only ticketed passengers with a valid-government issued form of ID be permitted past the security checkpoint. However, when difficulties arose with the management of implementing the new uniform set of policies between various private Security companies who had contracts with the airports, the TSA made the decision in late 2001 to let go all of the privately employed security officers from airports nationwide, and instead replace them with the administration's own federal team of security screeners. TSA Security Screeners first began appearing in airports in February 2002, and had completely replaced all of the privately-employed screeners by the end of the year.  

Upon the job creation in 2002, Transportation Security Officers (as they would later come to be known by 2005) wore a uniform consisting of a white-colored shirt with a sewed-on patch TSA badge, along with shoulder patches bearing the TSA and the DOT's insignia, along with black pants. In 2005, when the TSA had moved from the DOT to the newly established [[U.S. Department of Homeland Security]] the security officer uniform was revised to replace the DOT shoulder patch with a DHS patch. By 2008, all TSA officers were outfitted with new uniforms as a replacement for the original white-colored version. This new uniform (still in place in the present) consists of a dark blue shirt, an optional vest, a metal TSA badge with a badge number included, shoulder stripes with one-stripe indicating a security officer, two stripes a lead officer and three stripes a supervisor, a new TSA shoulder patch including the administration's motto along with the older DHS badge on the opposite shoulder, and dark pants with blue strips on both pant legs. All TSA officers also wear a pair of blue latex gloves needed to perform full body pat downs on passengers and to conduct hand bag searches, and many (but not all) carry radios and/or their cell phones on their belts. Transportation Security Officers, despite their officious appearance, carry no weapons, do not have the authority to use force and do not have the power to make an [[arrest]], and must contact the local and federal law enforcement officers on-duty at the airport in the event that a criminal is caught at the checkpoint or an illegal item is discovered in a passenger's bag (such as a gun or drugs such as marijuana).

Upon the job creation in 2002, Transportation Security Officers (as they would later come to be known by 2005) wore a uniform consisting of a white-colored shirt with a sewed-on patch TSA badge, along with shoulder patches bearing the TSA and the DOT's insignia, along with black pants. In 2005, when the TSA had moved from the DOT to the newly established [[U.S. Department of Homeland Security]] the security officer uniform was revised to replace the DOT shoulder patch with a DHS patch. By 2008, all TSA officers were outfitted with new uniforms as a replacement for the original white-colored version. This new uniform (still in place in the present) consists of a dark blue shirt, an optional vest, a metal TSA badge with a badge number included, shoulder stripes with one-stripe indicating a security officer, two stripes a lead officer and three stripes a supervisor, a new TSA shoulder patch including the administration's motto along with the older DHS badge on the opposite shoulder, and dark pants with blue strips on both pant legs. All TSA officers also wear a pair of blue latex gloves needed to perform full body pat downs on passengers and to conduct hand bag searches, and many (but not all) carry radios and/or their cell phones on their belts. Transportation Security Officers, despite their officious appearance, carry no weapons, do not have the authority to use force and do not have the power to make an [[arrest]], and must contact the local and federal law enforcement officers on-duty at the airport in the event that a criminal is caught at the checkpoint or an illegal item is discovered in a passenger's bag (such as a gun or drugs such as marijuana).