Reynolds 1

Calise Reynolds

Mrs.Lavender

U.S History

12/7/2018
How 9/11 Has Changed Our Security Nationwide

The tragic events on September 11, 2001, ended up making the United States more secure by improving

domestic and national security.​ 9/11 was a traumatic experience for workers and their families. Not only did it

affect the people involved but it affected the nation worldwide. This mass attack was made by a group of 19

terrorists. They called themselves the al-Qaeda, they were a group of Muslims that wanted to create a Muslim

state of independence across the country. The group was lead by an individual by the name of Osama Bin

Laden, they had made many attacks over the whole country but 9/11 was the deadliest to occur, killing over

2,000 people and injuring more the 6,000. They had a plan to hijack American planes and make attacks all over

the east coast. These carefully planned attacks struck the Americans by total surprise. From a normal day to one

of the most tragic days in American history. This specific attack happened on the twin towers in New York

City. The twin towers were built to remind new york of itself, not only did these tower have a symbol to the

citizens but they are also a worldwide famous piece of land. These towers where the largest twin towers in the

world for a period of time. These towers were known as part of the “World Trade Center”. They were built to

symbolize the confidence that New York was in need of. They were being used as office buildings for everyday

workers. The men organized 4 planes in total to crash. Two of the four had slammed into the twin towers, the

towers had collapsed and thousands of people had been killed. Although the two planes that hit the towers is

what is known as “9/11” two other planes had also been crashed. The third plane was crashed at Pentagon in

Arlington, where the U.S. military is headquartered, killing 189 people. And the fourth plane is thought to been

having the plan to go to the capitol in Washington but had crashed after passengers tried fighting the hijackers,
 Reynolds 2
all 44 passengers on that plane had been killed. In regards to this tragic incident, what has the government done

to protect the people?

In days and even years to come after the attacks, the Americans people and government are working to

provide the citizens with the highest possible security that they can. Before the attacks on America, the security

in our airports was nothing like today. They didn't go to any extent to check people. You could basically walk

through security with 10 guns in your bag. In airports, you could bring any type of blade on board with you that

was 4in or under. Thing like baseball bats, scissors and darts were permitted on planes. The Federal Aviation

Administration did not even think about having dangerous these weapons could

be and the potential things people could manage to do with these items. Most of the local laws that were in

place had no laws about carrying these weapons and no precautions or limitations to bringing these over the air.

Even if the weren't promoted the airport security didn’t check people thoroughly and they would have been hard

to detect without stronger metal detectors. Since it was so early in the 2000’s technology was minimal, making

it nearly impossible to stop people from carrying these potentially deadly weapons. Since the government didn't

really have rules in place on what you could or couldn't bring on the planes, the aircraft companies came up

with their own. Through a collaborative effort of all the company's inputs, they came out with the Checkpoint

Operations Guide. This document contained listings items that the airline industry itself prohibited from aircraft.

The document included a lot of weapons but some big things were still allowed(Quora, McCardle). The

carrying of a pocket knife was acceptable. Before 9/11 you didn't even need to have a passport to travel to

Canada and back. This allowed anyone to come in and out of the country with no security measures. When

going through security you didn't have to take off your shoes, meaning people could easily sneak things through

in their shoes, but then 9/11 occurred.

Since 9/11 many things have changed with security. Not just how the airlines check you, but what yours

allowed to bring on the plane. The first thing that was changed was the airlines were kicked off of controlling

airline security and the government took over, creating the TSA(Skyscanner,Trainer). This made everything 10

times striker and way safer. The TSA made guards go through hard extensive training that doubles security.
 Reynolds 3
When you check your bag we now have very high tech scanners that can detect explosives and liquids(PBS

News Hour, Villemez). When you want to take something on the plane in your carry on there are many

precautions. You must put liquids in a clear container and you can only carry a very small amount with you.

Your bags go through extensive checking and if they even suspect something, they pull your bag aside and

check it over to make sure you have nothing harmful in there. When you go through the body security you have

to take off your shoes now. While you go through the scanner, your shoes go through the other scanner just in

case. The body scanner circles around your body in case of anything on you. If it detects the smallest thing, you

are pulled aside and they use a handheld scanner and pat you down in case you have anything on you. Now we

have a thing called customs. When you're either flying to Canada or driving it is mandatory to show guards your

passport and to confirm your identity. Things haven't just changed as in at the airport and the extensive security

but they have made way more precautions on the aircraft. Before taking off the pilots are locked in the cockpit.

They are locked behind impregnable doors from take-off to landing and not opened for anything. This allows

the pilots to be safe and having no distractions so that people can't get to them and they can focus on getting you

to your destination safely. Also, they put in place the “Federal Flight Deck Officer” program. This program

allows pilots to undergo the proper training and have certifications to be permitted to carry a gun during the

flights(Cheat Sheet, Bolluyt). This gives them the opportunity to protect themselves and the other passengers if

someone were to be threatening people or doing something to harm others. Not only can you find yourself in

trouble if you bring something into the airport that's not allowed, but if you are acting in a way that is

threatening other people or look to be suspicious, they have the right to check on you and question you.

As the U.S. continues to make the world safer and more secure for the people, it puts more rules in place

and makes more and more committees and laws to keep everyone safe. As a result, the “Department Of

Homeland Security” was created just 11 short days after the attacks. The department was put together by a

number of appointed officials to oversee national strategy and national security(HARVARD Kennedy School,

Gibson). Its used to prevent the U.S. from other wide-scale terrorist attacks by gathering information and doing

nonstop investigations. The department has grown since the creation becoming the third largest worldwide
 Reynolds 4
federal cabinet. The department is used for making anti-terrorist tasks and providing national security. The

department is built up of the dedication of a bunch of citizens and government officials to keep everyone safe.

Providing us with border control, national security, and keeping us up to date on terrorist attacks and threats so

we can be prepared and stop them. These are just a few of the major changes that airlines and the government

have taken to ensure your safety on the aircraft and in the airport.

Even though this whole situation took place in the airport and in the airlines, this raised the government's

attention to the potential that people have to hurt others and the motivation some people have. After the attacks,

this hit the people in a different way. There had been previous attacks but nothing like this and that did as much

damage to our country. People were now aware that no one was safe and we needed to make a change in our

security and now we live in order to protect ourselves. Schools in this time were basically just an open

environment for anyone. Students and staff where not aware of the threat of others wanting to hurt them and

how easily they could just walk into their school. After the 9/11 attacks and some attacks before the schools and

government soon became aware of the amount of security they really need to protect students and staff. This

promoted the improvement of school security and emergency action plans over the last decade. Before 9/11

most schools had emergency action plans put in place and them technically where a thing but the students and

most importantly staff were not properly trained to actually carry out the plans. So this really needed a huge

changed and the government has worked hard to get us to where we are at the moment.

The biggest change in security was the creation of the Cabinet-Level agency to oversee security in schools

and to manage it this is called as we already talked about the “U.S. Department Of Homeland

Security”(American School & University, Kennedy). This was used to lead to greater federal resources and for

preparing and responding to emergencies. As a result of the department, the “National Incident Management

System” was created. This plan was created to develop and provide a structured approach from governmental

and non-governmental entities in response to a crisis. Federal funds from the U.S. Department of Education

Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools grant program had been put in place to give schools money

for training and emergency action plans(Skyscanner,Kennedy). Schools that receive the grants must follow the
 Reynolds 5
NIMS guidelines even if your school doesn't go by the NIMS. On big thing that government and schools have

noticed is that the role of communication plays a huge part in security. During an emergency, schools want to

have as much information about the topic as soon as they can and they work to make the public aware as soon

as they can to spread the word and to look for if anyone else has details on the situation. Not only has security

on campus changed but in rides and transporting. Laws have been put in place that students cannot walk home

until they are a certain age so that reduces the likelihood of a situation occurring. Schools also have the right to

question someone if they look suspicious or are acting in a strange way. All around schools have been improved

in security and the way things are running. If you are coming in to pick up a student first you have to buzz in to

tell the office why you are there and what you need. Once they feel safe they can let you in.Then if you are

wanting to pick up a student you have to give a certain “Password” or show id to prove yourself to them.

Schools now have surveillance that is constantly being watched to watch for unusual things. All door around the

building is locked and unopened after all students have entered the building at the beginning of the day. Along

with new technologies, most schools also have security guards for extra protection. These guards have

walkie-talkies to ensure if one of then sees something unusual happening they can tell the others and the office

to ensure they warn the students and staff as quickly as possible.schools are also in contact with outside sources

for another source of protection. As for example if there is something going wrong in the community or nearby,

schools are notified so they can go into lockdown and keep everyone as safe as they can. All these changes have

been put in place to protect the students and staff since the attacks to keep everyone safe and aware.

Since the attacks of 9/11, a lot has changed nationwide. In the airport was definitely the biggest changes,

aside from schools. That being said security in other places has also been changed as well. When attending a

large event or even large places like malls and food places security is better as well(24/7 Wall St, Young).Most

restaurants have emergency plans put in place in case of an emergency or something goes wrong. Big events are

monitored b security and guards in case of an incident. At malls an public places there are people patrolling and

always on the lookout. They have people constantly serving the area and keeping an eye on things. They have

action plans in case something happens to contact police and lockdown these areas. All these changes help the
 Reynolds 6
government and these places keep their customers safe and ensure that they are safe. Not only do these places

and the workers have to be aware of the potential danger but so do the people. Since the attacks of 9/11 many

people have become more aware of their surroundings. The attacks opened everyone's eyes to the risk of an

attack at any time. People nowadays have to be aware of what's going on in the world for the protection of

themselves and others. People now are more aware of their surroundings and always on the lookout for

something fishy happening to ensure full safety. The attacks of 9/11 have definitely changed the U.S. and how

people act and watch out for themselves today.

The tragic events on September 11, 2001, ended up making the United States more secure by improving

domestic and national security. The attacks were one of the most tragic events in American history. A normal

day in New York that ended up being one of the worst days in American history. These attacks caused us to lose

the lives of more the 2,500 American people and caused injuries or over 6,000. Each of these people had a

family and a whole life ahead of them but that was lost all due to one normal day turning into a living hell. The

improvements of technology, security, and self-awareness all play a role in the people in government taking

action to protect ourselves after the attacks. 9/11 caused a lot of deaths and was a huge tragedy to not only the

people and families involved but the people and government nationwide. This opened Americans eyes to the

amount of threat we were really at and cause lots of changes in security and keeping citizens safe. Before the

attacks, most people were oblivious to the potential others had and what extent they would go to in order to

prove a point or spread a religious idea they thought was right. Since the attacks, we have grown as a country

and become more advanced in many realms of security and keeping the citizens of this amazing country safe.
 Reynolds 7
Work Cited

Cheat Sheet.​ 14 Feb. 2018, www.cheatsheet.com/culture/

presidents-with-corrupt-cabinets-and-how-donald-trump-compares.html/.

Harvardkennedyschool.​ 11 Sept. 2016, www.hks.harvard.edu/research-insights/

policy-topics/international-relations-security/15-years-after-911-how-has.

Accessed 19 Dec. 2018.

Kennedy, Mike. "School Security After 9/11." ​American School & University,​ 1

June 2011, www.asumag.com/security/school-security-after-911.

McCardle, Guy D., Jr. "What was airline security like before 9/11." ​Quora​, 22

july 2016, www.quora.com/What-was-airline-security-like-before-9-11.

Accessed 19 Dec. 2018.

School Security After 9/11​. 1 June 2011, www.asumag.com/security/

school-security-after-911.

Trainer, Paul. "How airport security has changed since 9/11." ​SkyScanner​, 21

Mar. 2017, www.skyscanner.com/tips-and-inspiration/

guide-to-airport-security-since-9-11.

Young, Angelo. "15 Ways America Has Changed Since 9/11." ​24/7 Wall st​, 10 Sept.

2018, 247wallst.com/special-report/2018/09/10/

15-ways-america-has-changed-since-9-11/2/.

Villemez, Jason. "9/11 to now: Ways we have changed." ​PBS News Hour,​ 14 Sept.

2011, www.pbs.org/newshour/world/911-to-now-ways-we-have-changed.
Reynolds 8