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| Air Marshals Soon to Patrol Train Station Near You? |
| 2005-12-14 |
| Federal air marshals are expanding their work beyond airplanes, launching counterterror surveillance at train stations and other mass transit facilities in a three-day test program. As of Wednesday, the Transportation Security Administration said, teams of undercover air marshals and uniformed law enforcement officers were descending on bus stations, ferries and transit systems across the country to protect them from potential terrorists. "We just want to develop the capability to enhance security outside of aviation," said air marshal spokesman David Adams. Air marshals stepped outside of their usual role of flying undercover on airliners after Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans. They were sent to keep order at Louis Armstrong International Airport, where thousands of evacuees converged after the levees were breached. The so-called "Visible Intermodal Protection and Response" teams — or VIPER teams — will patrol Amtrak's Northeast Corridor and Los Angeles rail lines; ferries in Washington state; bus stations in Houston; and mass transit systems in Atlanta, Philadelphia, Washington and Baltimore. The teams will consist of two air marshals, one TSA bomb-sniffing-canine team, one or two transportation security inspectors and a local law enforcement officer. Adams said there is no new intelligence indicating that terrorists are interested in targeting transportation modes. Rather, the TSA is trying to expand the role of air marshals, who have been eager to conduct surveillance activities beyond the aircraft, and tighten security at public transit stations over the holiday. Some members of the team will be obvious to the traveling public and wear jackets bearing the TSA name on the back. Others will be plainclothes air marshals scanning the crowds for suspicious individuals. "TSA expects to find new ways to quickly deploy resources, in the event of an actual threat, that adds complexity to security measures outside of the aviation domain," the agency said in a statement. Can you say "mission creep"? Thousands of air marshals were rushed into service after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The service has been shunted among different agencies since then, starting out at the Federal Aviation Administration, moving to the TSA, then to Immigration and Custom Enforcement and, recently, back to the TSA. Though the exact number of air marshals is classified, pilots estimate that they cover only a small percentage of flights. Efforts were made to expand coverage by cross-training other law enforcement officers to perform air marshal duties, but Congress put a stop to it. |
| Posted by:Desert Blondie |
| #5 That would make too much sense, WT. |
| Posted by: Secret Master 2005-12-14 19:02 |
| #4 Do think that, just maybe, it might be "A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed. " comes to mind. |
| Posted by: wrinkleneck_trout 2005-12-14 14:12 |
| #3 Washington State Ferry System ( part of the state DOT) turned down the TSA's request to work the ferry system. too much interference and cost to the state w/ little or nor return. |
| Posted by: USN, ret. 2005-12-14 14:10 |
| #2 *frown* I don't exactly like the continued use of "air marshals". It seems to me they and the entire TSA are an expenditure that would be better mad on something else. Like screening passenger lists, securing seaports and containers and tracking bad guys. A waste of money and a life so far. Now they want to get into turf growth too? A jobs program. |
| Posted by: Omurong Phinelet5176 2005-12-14 13:47 |
| #1 *frown* I don't exactly like the continued use of the term "air marshals." It may just be semantics, but the idea it brings to my mind is that they're just throwing airliner specialists at the situation instead of training specialists for mass transit facilities... |
| Posted by: Edward Yee 2005-12-14 12:06 |