July 4th Message from TSA
News & Happenings
July 2, 2009
As we look forward to the Independence Day holiday, many Americans will travel using the nation's roads, trains, and airports to attend picnics and parades, and spend time with family and friends. No matter your destination this 4th of July weekend, TSA is dedicated to ensuring the safety and security of your travels.
To learn more about traveling through airport security and how to prepare for your travel experience, click here to see TSA's tips for summer travelers.
In addition to airport security, TSA works to secure other critical modes of transportation. If you are traveling by rail or through a mass transit system this weekend you might see a Visible Intermodal Prevention and Response (VIPR) operation. VIPR teams, comprised of federal air marshals, surface transportation security inspectors, transportation security officers, behavior detection officers and explosives detection canine teams improve security and enhance safety.
In coordination with our transportation and law enforcement partners, VIPR teams will operate in more than a dozen of the largest cities this holiday weekend, including the nation's capital. They will work with local security and law enforcement officials to augment existing security resources by providing a deterrent presence, additional detection capabilities, and to introduce an element of unpredictability to disrupt potential criminal and terrorist activities at major events.
During the past four years, thousands of VIPR operations have been conducted nationwide in partnership with local officials at mass transit centers, commuter rail systems, and bus terminals to safeguard the traveling public and our national transportation infrastructure.
An unpredictable screening and security presence is an effective technique to deter potential threats.
