Some US airports are ditching TSA for private security officers

Three US airports have become early adopters of a controversial new program that allows third-party vendors to replace federal agents at security checkpoints.Some 20 US airports, including Atlantic City and San Francisco International, are currently utilizing privatized screening as part of TSA’s existing Screening Partnership Program (SPP).Now, three airport locations are expected to introduce privatized screening under the recently launched TSA Gold+ program.This trinity includes Tampa International Airport in Florida, Charleston International Airport in South Carolina, and Des Moines International Airport in IowaAn expansion on the existing SPP, TSA is referring to its Gold+ program as “the future of aviation security.”Under the current system, SPP operated under TSA oversight and regulations, but under TSA Gold+, SPP will also be allowed to use its own technology to screen passengers and luggage, with the goal of taking some of the burden off the current staff.“As the next evolution of the Screening Partnership Program (SPP), TSA Gold+  is a transformative upgrade to offer airports the opportunity to “opt in” to a public-private screening model tailored to their unique needs, ensuring continuity and operational stability even during federal government shutdowns,” a TSA spokesperson previously told the Post.However, not everyone is all in on opting in.

Critics, including the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), which represents nearly 50,000 Transportation Security Officers across the country, say the program compromises public safety and threatens job security.“Make no mistake – this is a major departure and step backward from the aviation screening security system that Congress created in the wake of the Sept.11th terrorist attacks in 2001 and the deadly bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Scotland in 1988,” AFGE National President Everett Kelley said in a news release.

“Changes of this magnitude should not be made behind...