9/26/2022 12:15:00 PM
Officials from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) marked the 20th anniversary of the federalization of Buffalo-Niagara International Airport (BUF) airport on Saturday, Sept. 24.
Buffalo-Niagara International Airport launched TSA security oversight 20 years ago, on Sept. 24, 2002, when the security checkpoint was first staffed by federal TSA officers one year after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The Aviation and Transportation Security Act (ATSA) became law in November 2001, formally establishing the TSA. That fall, TSA consisted of about 100 people working at folding tables in the basement of the Department of Transportation's national office.
Today, 20 years later, there are 430 federalized airports and a workforce of about 60,000 employees nationwide. TSA has a staff of approximately 210 employees who are assigned to work at Buffalo. Thirty-seven members of the TSA workforce have been working at Buffalo since the airport was federalized.
Since its launch, the TSA has developed and implemented strong security procedures, built a well-trained and highly skilled professional workforce, and introduced a wide array of state-of-the-art technologies to screen passengers, baggage and cargo.
Guided by an intelligence-based approach, today TSA is at the forefront of security technology and innovation. Technologies such as computed tomography, credential authentication technology and advanced imaging technology have greatly improved TSA’s detection and identity verification capabilities in ways the initial group of TSA employees could have only imagined 20 years ago.