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Revision as of 22:18, 7 December 2005 by 170.20.11.116 (talk) (→Equipment)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)The Federal Air Marshal Service is a U.S. federal agency. It was founded by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to combat the rash of hijackings occurring during the late 1960s and early 1970s. The original air marshals were United States Marshals and later were specially trained FAA personnel. Their mission was to safeguard flights against aircraft hijacking ("skyjacking") and all other forms of crimes.
Under the Homeland Security Act of 2002, the air marshals were transferred to the Department of Homeland Security. In 2005, DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff conducted a Second Stage Review of DHS and ordered the realignment of the FAMS from ICE to a division within the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).
Background
The Federal Air Marshal Program actually started as the Sky Marshal Program. In 1961 President John F. Kennedy started the first Sky Marshall program as a deterrent to the increasing number of hijackings in and around Cuba. From 1958 to 1969 77% of all hijackings were aircraft heading to Cuba or leaving Cuba. The new Sky Marshal program served as an effective deterrent against hijacking. Between 1962 and 1969 only a few hijackings occurred. The size of the Federal Air Marshal Service went from just 33 agents to several thousand after the attacks of 9/11. Until the American Airlines Flight 924 shooting incident at Miami on December 7, 2005, no Federal Air Marshal had fired a weapon on or near an airplane.
FAMS under Immigration and Customs Enforcement
After the attacks of 9/11 the FAMS were placed under the newly created Transportation Security Administration (TSA). Thousands of Air Marshals were hired. Many were agents from other federal agencies such as the U.S. Border Patrol.
Budgeting issues within the TSA created tension between funding for airport screeners versus the FAMS. The FAMS was realigned to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The reasoning was that the FAMS could be redesignated as Criminal Investigator/Special Agents and would have a career path. ICE also had an investigative division with Special Agents specializing in investigating immigration and customs violations. Those immigration and customs agents would be cross trained to serve as supplemental FAMS in the event of a national emergency or in response to intelligence requiring additional marshals on flights.
Ultimately, one of Asa Hutchinson's final decisions prior to resigning as head of DHS' Border and Transportation Sercurity Directorate was the issuance of a memorandum declining to allow Air Marshals to also be ICE Special Agents. In 2005, Secretary Chertoff conducted a second stage review of DHS under Tom Ridge and ordered the FAMS to be moved from ICE and back into the TSA.
Training
The Federal Air Marshal goes through a two phase training program. The first phase of the program is a 7-week basic law training course. This training is completed at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Artesia, NM. It is tailored to the role that the Federal Air Marshals will be performing while on the job. Some of the specific areas covered in this training include; constitutional law, basic marksmanship, physical fitness, defensive tactics, emergency medical, and basic law enforcement investigative techniques.
The second phase trains the candidates for tasks that they will be expected to carry out in the field. This training places an emphasis on perfecting the marksmanship skills of the candidates. The Federal Air Marshals are notorious for having some of the best marksmen in law enforcement. Candidates that complete this training will be assigned to one of 21 field offices where they will begin to fly missions.
Equipment
The Federal Air Marshals are given handguns. The Marshals are also required to conform to a strict dress code. They must have a conservative hair cut and shaved face. They must wear a suit and tie with dress shoes. This has been a point of controversy between the Marshals and the Federal Air Marshal Service Administrators and has been named by Marshals as the "kill-me-first dress code policy". The Marshals claim that these dress codes make them targets for any possible hijackers and make them stand out as possible government agents.
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Incidents
On December 7 2005 a Federal Air Marshal shot and killed a passenger of American Airlines Flight 924 on a boarding bridge at Miami International Airport. The passenger claimed to have been carrying a bomb in his hand luggage and was confronted by several Federal Air Marshals. The passenger reached into his hand luggage and was shot by one of the Marshals, which was reportedly in accordance with Federal Air Marshal training.