TSA and its employee background investigations

In February 2002, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) assumed responsibility for passenger and baggage screening at airports. Screening is performed by Transportation Security Officers. To ensure no officer presents a threat to national security or public trust, job applicants undergo a background investigation. In the January 2004 report, A Review of Background Investigations for Federal Passenger and Baggage Screeners at Airports, it was discovered that there was a variety of limitations to this background investigation process. A follow-up review was done to determine the Transportation Security Administration's progress in improving its background investigation process. The process has improved since our 2004 report, but some important challenges remain.

TSA Officers still undergo a background investigation with employment standards exceeding most national security positions, and the background investigations are inefficient in some respects. The TSA has not implemented all necessary steps that would improve security and reduce costs. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) was established with the enactment of the Aviation and Transportation Security Act in November 2001. The Act requires TSA to hire a sufficient number of Federal employees, now known as Transportation Security Officers (TSOs) or screeners, to conduct the screening of all passengers and baggage at airports. The law requires TSOs to undergo a background investigation, including a criminal record check. TSA must ensure TSOs are U.S. citizens who have no convictions within the past 10 years for 28 specific disqualifying felonies