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Federal Air Marshal Service: Difference between revisions
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Air marshals were originally designated as [[U.S. Customs]] security officers assigned by order of President Kennedy on an as-needed basis, and later were specially trained FAA personnel.<ref>[http://www.tsa.gov/lawenforcement/mission/index.shtm] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120915100024/http://www.tsa.gov/lawenforcement/mission/index.shtm|date=September 15, 2012}}</ref> The customs officers were phased out in 1974.<ref name=books.google.com /> Many of them transferred to the FAA's Civil Aviation Security Division to serve as aviation security inspectors and also in the volunteer FAM program directed by the FAA's Civil Aviation Security Division (later renamed the ''Office of Civil Aviation Security''). This program later became non-voluntary, required of all FAA Inspectors, breeding other problems within the FAA's Office of Civil Aviation Security. In 1992, Retired Major General [[Orlo Steele]], then the Associate Administrator for Civil Aviation Security, hired [[Greg McLaughlin]] as Director of the Federal Air Marshal Program. McLaughlin was hired as an air marshal after the hijacking of TWA 847 and was working in Frankfurt, Germany, investigating the bombing of [[Pan Am Flight 103|Pan Am 103]]. McLaughlin turned the Federal Air Marshal Program into an all-voluntary program. The voluntary nature of the program and efforts by McLaughlin and Steele turned the small force of Federal Air Marshals into an extremely capable one. From 1992 to just after the attacks on 9/11, the air marshals had one of the toughest firearms qualification standards in the world. A study from the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) later came out with a classified report during this time period, placing Federal Air Marshals among the top 1% of combat shooters in the world. This is no longer the case due to changes in capabilities and training.<ref name=books.google.com /> | Air marshals were originally designated as [[U.S. Customs]] security officers assigned by order of President Kennedy on an as-needed basis, and later were specially trained FAA personnel.<ref>[http://www.tsa.gov/lawenforcement/mission/index.shtm] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120915100024/http://www.tsa.gov/lawenforcement/mission/index.shtm|date=September 15, 2012}}</ref> The customs officers were phased out in 1974.<ref name=books.google.com /> Many of them transferred to the FAA's Civil Aviation Security Division to serve as aviation security inspectors and also in the volunteer FAM program directed by the FAA's Civil Aviation Security Division (later renamed the ''Office of Civil Aviation Security''). This program later became non-voluntary, required of all FAA Inspectors, breeding other problems within the FAA's Office of Civil Aviation Security. In 1992, Retired Major General [[Orlo Steele]], then the Associate Administrator for Civil Aviation Security, hired [[Greg McLaughlin]] as Director of the Federal Air Marshal Program. McLaughlin was hired as an air marshal after the hijacking of TWA 847 and was working in Frankfurt, Germany, investigating the bombing of [[Pan Am Flight 103|Pan Am 103]]. McLaughlin turned the Federal Air Marshal Program into an all-voluntary program. The voluntary nature of the program and efforts by McLaughlin and Steele turned the small force of Federal Air Marshals into an extremely capable one. From 1992 to just after the attacks on 9/11, the air marshals had one of the toughest firearms qualification standards in the world. A study from the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) later came out with a classified report during this time period, placing Federal Air Marshals among the top 1% of combat shooters in the world. This is no longer the case due to changes in capabilities and training.<ref name=books.google.com /> | ||
Before the [[September 11, 2001 attacks]], the Federal Air Marshal Service consisted of varying numbers of FAMs dependent on government funding. Although 50 positions were authorized by Congress, only 33 FAMs were active on September 11, 2001.<ref name=bbcgrounded>{{cite news | title=Air marshals grounded over 'security' | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3020570.stm | work =[[BBC News]] | access-date=2006-08-25|date=2003-06-23}}</ref> As a result of the [[September 11, 2001 attacks|9/11 attacks]], President | Before the [[September 11, 2001 attacks]], the Federal Air Marshal Service consisted of varying numbers of FAMs dependent on government funding. Although 50 positions were authorized by Congress, only 33 FAMs were active on September 11, 2001.<ref name=bbcgrounded>{{cite news | title=Air marshals grounded over 'security' | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3020570.stm | work =[[BBC News]] | access-date=2006-08-25|date=2003-06-23}}</ref> As a result of the [[September 11, 2001 attacks|9/11 attacks]], President George W. Bush ordered the rapid expansion of the Federal Air Marshal Service. Many new hires were agents from other federal agencies, such as the United States Secret Service, [[United States Border Patrol]], the [[Federal Bureau of Prisons]] (BOP), the [[Drug Enforcement Administration|DEA]], [[National Park Service|NPS]], [[FBI]], [[Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives|ATF]], [[Immigration and Naturalization Service|INS]], U.S. Housing and Urban Development Office of the Inspector General (OIG), [[U.S. Postal Inspection Service]] (USPIS), [[IRS Criminal Investigation Division|IRS CID]], and many others.<ref>[http://public.cq.com/public/20060911_topten_fams.html] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081122015243/http://public.cq.com/public/20060911_topten_fams.html|date=November 22, 2008}}</ref> Immediately after the attacks on 9/11, then-Director McLaughlin was tasked with hiring and training 600 air marshals in one month. A classified number of applicants were later hired, trained, and deployed on flights worldwide. As of August 2013, this number is estimated to be approximately 4,000.<ref name=dresscode>{{cite news | title=Air marshals to go native; dress code relaxed | url=https://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060825/od_nm/usa_airmarshals_dc_1 | author = Charles, Deborah | date=2006-08-25 | work=[[Yahoo! News]] | access-date=2006-08-25}} {{Dead link|date=September 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref> Currently, these FAMs serve as the primary law enforcement entity within the [[Transportation Security Administration]] (TSA). | ||
On October 16, 2005, [[United States Secretary of Homeland Security|Homeland Security Secretary]] [[Michael Chertoff]] approved the transfer of the Federal Air Marshal Service from [[U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement]] (ICE) to TSA as part of a broader departmental reorganization to align functions consistent with the [[United States Department of Homeland Security|Department of Homeland Security]] (DHS) "Second Stage Review" findings for the following: | On October 16, 2005, [[United States Secretary of Homeland Security|Homeland Security Secretary]] [[Michael Chertoff]] approved the transfer of the Federal Air Marshal Service from [[U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement]] (ICE) to TSA as part of a broader departmental reorganization to align functions consistent with the [[United States Department of Homeland Security|Department of Homeland Security]] (DHS) "Second Stage Review" findings for the following: | ||