New organization rushes to begin its mission.As it hires as many as 2,000 new employees a week, America's new Transportation Security Administration is gearing up for its colossal co·los·sal adj. Of a size, extent, or degree that elicits awe or taxes belief; immense. See Synonyms at enormous. [French, from Latin colossus, colossus; see colossus. mission. That is the message of Charlotte Bryan, Manager, Airport Operations, to an audience of Greater Washington, D.C., area transporters July 18. "We're very busy screening, training and deploying screeners," Bryan told a luncheon meeting of the Washington, D.C., chapter of the National Defense Transportation Association. Eventually, the Transportation Security Administration will have as many as 60,000 employees, said Bryan, who left a Federal Aviation Administration Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), component of the U.S. Department of Transportation that sets standards for the air-worthiness of all civilian aircraft, inspects and licenses them, and regulates civilian and military air traffic through its air traffic control security job in January for the new position. The majority of the positions--some 50,000--will be airport screeners. Currently, the agency's screeners have taken over the security mission at Baltimore-Washington Airport, Baltimore Baltimore, city (1990 pop. 736,014), N central Md., surrounded by but politically independent of Baltimore co., on the Patapsco River estuary, an arm of Chesapeake Bay; inc. 1745. , Md.; Louisville, Ky.; and Mobile, Ala ALA aminolevulinic acid. Ala alanine. ala (a´lah) pl. a´lae [L.] a winglike process. . By late July, Bryan said screeners will be deploying to as many as 40 airports a week. Eventually, there will be federal passenger screeners at all the nation's 430 major passenger airports. The nation is "far more secure" since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, said Bryan. "Screening is so much better today," said Bryan. "Passengers take it so much more seriously. Airports take it so much more seriously." Checked luggage LUGGAGE. Such things as are carried by a traveller, generally for his personal accommodation; baggage. In England this word is generally used in the same sense that baggage is used in the United States. See Baggage. is now being screened all over the country, she said. By the end of the year, additional sophisticated screening for explosives will be in use. New recruitment efforts by the Transportation Security Adminstration have produced enthusiastic responses, said Bryan. When agency officials first recruited for 81 federal security directors, more than 10,000 applications were received. By the middle of August, federal security managers will be in place at 160 major American airports. The managers will be responsible for baggage screening, law enforcement and regulatory inspection. In most cases, the federal security managers will also be responsible for one or more smaller, nearby, airports. The job is "gigantic gi·gan·tic adj. 1. Relating to or suggestive of a giant. 2. a. Exceedingly large of its kind: a gigantic toadstool. b. ," said Bryan. "Since we've been formed," she said, "we've had to process 300,000 fingerprints Impressions or reproductions of the distinctive pattern of lines and grooves on the skin of human fingertips. Fingerprints are reproduced by pressing a person's fingertips into ink and then onto a piece of paper. of airport employees for federal screening." Despite the many challenges, said Bryan, another big one is looming looming: see mirage. . "There are 275,000 aircraft in general aviation," said Bryan. "These aircraft are located at 19,000 airports. "We're not sure where to begin." Bryan said the Transportation Security Administration would seek industry comment on its vast areas of responsibility. |
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