The Screening Experience
All Shoes Must Be Screened
Why We Screen Shoes
TSA instituted mandatory shoe screening as an additional security measure when the threat level for the aviation sector went to Orange, or high on Thursday, August 10, 2006. Screening shoes by x-ray is an effective method of identifying any type of anomalies including explosives. Our highly trained transportation security officers can see if a shoe has been tampered with when they view it on the X-ray equipment. By requiring all passengers to remove shoes for x-ray screening we increase both security and efficiency at the checkpoint.
Today improvised explosive devices are the number one threat that we guard against. More than 31,000 of our TSOs have received rigorous training in IED detection and are required to complete four hours a month of recurrent training to detect all forms of explosives. Training and technology are two layers in our systems approach to security in the airport. Other layers include: intelligence, behavior observation technique, random canine team searches, federal air marshals, federal flight deck officers and additional security measures both visible and invisible to the public. Each one of these layers alone is capable of stopping a terrorist attack. In combination their security value is multiplied, creating a much stronger, formidable system.
TSA wants to assure the traveling public that we are working aggressively to protect the traveling public against threats we expect and those we don’t expect. Again we thank the public for their continued cooperation and vigilance.
Have doubts about our ability to detect explosives in shoes? Read Assistant Secretary Kip Hawley’s remarks and see a recently declassified X-ray image of simulated explosives in a pair of shoes.
Learn more about our shoe screening policy. Shoe Screening
Learn more about what items are now prohibited due to heightened security. Prohibited Items
