U.S. Under Secretary of Transportation for Security John W. Magaw announced
today that the Transportation Security Administration successfully placed federal
passenger screeners at Baltimore Washington International Airports' Piers A
and B. The successful deployment of these first 200 federal screeners marks
the beginning of TSA's monumental challenge of hiring, training and mobilizing
30,000 new screeners.
"This is a historic event for the American people, the U.S. Department
of Transportation, and the state of Maryland," said Under Secretary Magaw.
"This security system will provide us an opportunity to learn some lessons
and implement those lessons as we move to other airports around the country.
In the end, we will meet our Nov. 19 deadline."
Under Secretary Magaw will be joined by U.S. Representative Ben Cardin, of Maryland's
3rd District, and Beverley Swaim-Staley, Deputy Secretary of Transportation
for Maryland and Interim Director for BWI Airport.
TSA is responsible for security in all modes of transportation, civil aviation
security, and is in the process of establishing federal security operations
in the nation's commercial airports. TSA will deploy federal personnel, including
passenger screeners, law enforcement officers and others to all airports by
Nov. 19, 2002.
For more information on the TSA and mandated requirements for federal security
screeners, please visit www.tsa.dot.gov.
