TSA highlights its top accomplishments of 2022, seizing more than 6,500 guns
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) set a new record in 2022 for firearm interceptions by Transportation Security Officers at airport checkpoints.
TSA officers stopped more than 6,500 firearms at airport checkpoints.
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According to a news release, the TSA made significant strides to improve transportation security and screening an average of more than two million passengers daily at airports across the country.
“I am incredibly proud of our dedicated TSA employees who perform the critical task of securing our nation’s transportation systems each day,” said TSA administrator David Pekoske. “We had a very successful year that ended with the enactment of the FY 2023 Omnibus Appropriations Bill, which included funding to bring TSA employee compensation to a level commensurate with other federal employees, in addition to funding to expand collective bargaining rights for our non-supervisory screening workforce. For years, our employees have not been paid fairly, and securing pay parity was necessary from an operational standpoint as we continue to see increasing travel volumes and will also help our ability to recruit and hire new employees and retain the talent we have.”
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During 2022, TSA achieved the following highlights and accomplishments:
· TSA recognized the 20th year of checkpoint federalization as more than 400 airports nationwide reached this milestone anniversary.
· TSA improved security effectiveness and reduced physical contact by deploying 534 Credential Authentication Technology (CAT) units and adding 243 Computed Tomography (CT) X-ray scanners at airport checkpoints.
· The FY23 Omnibus Bill, which President Biden signed into law in December 2022, will enable technology deployments to continue across the agency’s nearly 2,400 security checkpoint lanes.
· TSA worked with industry partners to enhance cybersecurity resilience for the nation’s critical pipelines and rail systems.
· TSOs prevented more than 6,542 firearms from entering the secure areas of airports in 2022 with 88% of the firearms loaded.
· TSA also increased the maximum civil penalty for a firearms violation to nearly $15,000.
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· In March 2022, TSA recognized its Federal Air Marshal Service (FAMS) for 60 years of protecting domestic and international flights and providing a visible security presence for surface transportation modes.
· TSA trained and deployed more than 1,000 explosives detection canine teams at airports and mass-transit facilities to support large-scale events such as Super Bowl LVI, the Kentucky Derby, Indy 500 and enhance security operations at airports and surface transportation systems nationwide.
· When it comes to passengers, travel volumes returned to pre-pandemic levels in 2022, with TSOs screening 736 million passengers, averaging over two million passengers per day.
· In February, TSA opened its first TSA PreCheck lanes outside of the U.S. making its debut in Nassau, Bahamas.
· In late December 2022 President Biden signed into law the FY23 Omnibus Bill, which was a top priority for DHS and TSA, that includes funds to pay TSA employees at a level commensurate with other federal agencies.
· TSA hired its first-ever executive officer to lead diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility initiatives for the agency.
· TSA hired more than 10,000 new TSOs and opened its new TSA Academy West adjacent to Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) in Las Vegas.
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