TSA Is Taking Security Beyond Checkpoints

The head of the Transportation Security Administration is calling for a shift in the way security is handled at the nation’s airports.

TSA Chief David Pekoske says security personnel must begin broadening their attention beyond checkpoints to the public spaces in an airport in order to keep up with the evolving face of terrorism.

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Pekoske added that the agency must become more entrepreneurial to adapt to terrorism threats, according to Bloomberg.

"We can no longer focus only on preventing the bad guys from getting into the secure area of an airport," Pekoske during what was described as the first ever state-of-the-TSA address. “More and more we must focus on both sides of the checkpoint and in the public areas where airport and surface transportation systems intersect.”

Pekoske’s comments come after a year or more of high-profile attacks that involved vehicles being used as the primary weapon, including attacks in London, Barcelona and Nice, France.

There have also been several incidents in the United States that show terrorists ability to use cars as weapons – in Charlottesville, New York City and on the Ohio State University campus.

With TSA and security agencies in other countries increasing airport screening since the September 11, 2001 attacks, terrorists are turning with increasing frequency to attacks in other, less secure places. Baggage collection zones and check-in areas are often targets.

In January 2017, for instance, an arriving passenger in Fort Lauderdale, Florida gathered a checked bag, went into the restroom and loaded a gun and then came out shooting. The individual killed five people and wounded several more.

“We face ambitious adversaries who are continuously looking for a point of attack and waiting for us to slip up,” Pekoske added during the presentation at George Washington University. “Our job is to make sure they never have that opportunity.”

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While the public is used to seeing TSA at airport security points, the agency is also responsible for protecting rail stations, transit systems, and bus terminals.

The agency's administrator did not provide any specifics regarding new measures or screening protocols.

"Aviation and surface transportation hubs remain highly prized targets for terrorists," he said. "Their modes and methods of attack have evolved and become much more decentralized and opportunistic than ever before."