The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is a U.S. government agency that was created as part of the Aviation and Transportation Security Act passed by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President George W. Bush on November 19, 2001. The TSA was originally organized in the U.S. Department of Transportation but was moved to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on November 25, 2002. The agency is responsible for security in all modes of transportation.

Organization and Background

TSA is a component of the Department of Homeland Security. With state, local and regional partners, TSA oversees security for highways, railroads, buses, mass transit systems, pipelines, ports, and 450 U.S. airports. However, the bulk of TSA's efforts are in aviation security. TSA employs around 45,000 Transportation Security Officers (TSOs), colloquially known as screeners. TSA also employs Federal Air Marshals (FAMs), Transportation Security Inspectors (TSIs) and oversees the training and testing of explosives detection canine teams.

A Transportation Security Officer (TSO) performs security screening of persons and property and controls entry and exit points within an airport.

A Federal Air Marshal (FAM), while blending in with passengers, is tasked with detecting, detering, and defeating terrorist or other criminal hostile acts targeting U.S. air carriers, airports, passengers, crew, and when necessary, other transportation modes within the US's general transportation systems.

Transportation Security Inspectors (TSIs) conduct comprehensive inspections, assessments and investigations of passenger and cargo transportation systems to determine their security posture. TSA employs roughy 1000 aviation inspectors, 450 cargo inspectors and 100 surface inspectors.

TSA's National Explosives Detection Canine Team Program prepares dogs and handlers to serve as mobile teams that can quickly locate and identify dangerous materials that may present a threat to transportation systems. As of June 2008, TSA had trained about 430 canine teams with 370 deployed to airports and 56 deployed to mass transit systems.

A Brief History

• An airline (in cases where the terminal was owned by an airline)
• A terminal company (in cases where the terminal was privately owned)
• An airport operator (in cases where the terminal was operated by a government agency)

With the arrival of the TSA, private screening has not disappeared completely. Under the TSA's Screening Partnership Program (SPP), privately operated checkpoints exist in the following airports: San Francisco International Airport; Kansas City International Airport; Greater Rochester International Airport; Tupelo Regional Airport; Key West International Airport; and Jackson Hole Airport. Private security firms have been approved by the TSA to provide security, but under the authority of the TSA.