Growing concern in the United States regarding arming and expansion of authorities of domestic police, in apparent violation of constitutional rights, and out of intent to suppress the People in case of anti-government disturbances, all under the official guise of fighting international terrorism.
Tennessee first state to use TSA statewide
...
- Tuesday Tennessee was first to deploy VIPR simultaneously at five weigh stations and two bus stations across the state.
- Agents are recruiting truck drivers, like Rudy Gonzales, into the First Observer Highway Security Program to say something if they see something.
- �Not only truck drivers, but cars, everybody should be aware of what�s going on, on the road,� said Gonzales.
- QIt�s all meant to urge every driver to call authorities if they see something suspicious.
At what point do people finally get angry enough to tell the TSA to go away? Why are people willingly accepting these intrusive, and possibly illegal, �security� measures into our lives? When will we all have to start carrying our papers with us?
And what the hell happened to �The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.�
Deprivation of rights, fear mongering, criminalizing normal behavior, making every American afraid of everyone and everything is not the country I grew up in. It is not the country of freedoms, it is the country of tyranny.
Nothing is going to change without a major revolution and the American people don�t seem prepared to take that step. Those in power won�t step aside until this happens. They will push the fear of terrorism as far as they can.
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TSA- Transportation Security Agency
The TSA was created as part of the Aviation and Transportation Security Act, sponsored by Don Young in the United States House of Representatives[2] and Ernest Hollings in theSenate,[3] passed by the 107th U.S. Congress, and signed into law by President George W. Bush on November 19, 2001. Originally part of the United States Department of Transportation, the TSA was moved to the Department of Homeland Security on March 25, 2003.
Visible Intermodal Prevention and Response team
s a Transportation Security Administration program. Various government sources have differing descriptions of VIPR's exact mission. It is specifically authorized by which says that the program is to "augment the security of any mode of transportation at any location within the United States". Authority for the program is under the Secretary of Homeland Security. The program falls under TSA's Office of Law Enforcement[1]. TSA OLE shares responsibility for the program with the Office of Security Operations and TSNM.[2]
The VIPR teams detain and search citizens at railroad stations, bus stations, ferries, car tunnels, ports, subways, truck weigh stations, rest areas, and special events.[3][4][5][6][7] They also can deploy to deal with CBRNE/WMD (chemical, biological, radioactive, nuclear, and explosive weapons of mass destruction)[8] They also do inspections of ships, containers, and vehicles. [9]
Critiques
Indianapolis bus searches 2007
In 2007 some Indianapolis bus passengers complained to representative Dan Burton that TSA searches violated their civil liberties. Burton replied that Al Qaeda was interested in attacking buses and that the Global War on Terrorwas still on. [34]
DHS Office of Inspector General report, 2008
This report studies problems at VIPR. It "identified concerns regarding chain of command, unclear missions, and insufficient communication". It noted progress, but said those issues were "undermining agency efforts to advance mass transit security."[14]
It especially discussed the controversial July 4 2007 holiday weekend VIPR deployments. The TSA gave only short notice the local authorities about the VIPR plans, and did not consult them on the creation of those plans. This disrupted the plans that local authorities had created to deal with holiday traffic. Local transit officials had to work overtime accompanying VIPR teams unfamiliar with local systems such as rail stations; TSA did not reimburse local groups for this overtime expense. TSA also compromised the anonymity, and thus safety, of Air Marshals by requiring them to wear clothing identifying themselves as Federal Air Marshals. VIPR deployments also caused tensions with transit officials and police unions. After these incidents, TSA tried to improve it's communication, including setting up a Joint Coordination Center.[14]
The report also mentions a letter in which the National President of the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association described the VIPR exercises as “clearly a waste of scarce Federal Air Marshal resources."[14]
DHS Office of Inspector General report, 2009
This report focused on the role of Surface Transportation Security Inspectors on VIPR teams. It pointed out that TSI's were 'underutilized' and their contribution to the VIPR operations was unclear.[1]
House Appropriations Committee Report 111-157, 2009
The US Congress House Appropriates Committee wrote a report in September 2009 regarding the Department of Homeland Security. It included a section on VIPR. It specifically quoted from the two DHS Inspector General reports listed above. [35]
The report also noted that TSA had failed to prepare a report on the "performance standards to measure the success of its VIPR teams in detecting and disrupting terrorism", as it had been directed to by Congress previously. The committee also reject TSA's request for more funding for rail inspectors because TSA had failed to hire people to fill it's currently allocated inspector positions. [35]
Savannah incident - Amtrak temporarily bans VIPR teams, 2011
In early 2011, a TSA VIPR detained and patted down people at an Amtrak station in Savannah, Georgia. The incident became rather controversial. [28] According to Trains magazine, Amtrak Police Chief John O'Connor described the TSA behavior as illegal, and in violation of Amtrak policy. The incident led Amtrak to temporarily ban VIPR teams from Amtrak property. [15]
