We are the Transportation Security Administration, formed immediately following the tragedies of September 11, 2001. Our agency is a component of the Department of Homeland Security and is responsible for security of the nation's transportation systems. With our state, local and regional partners, we oversee security for the highways, railroads, buses, mass transit systems, ports and the 450 U.S. airports. We employ approximately 50,000 people from Alaska to Puerto Rico to ensure your travels _ by plane, train, automobile or ferry _ are safe and secure. We are your neighbors, friends and relatives. We are security officers, inspectors, directors, air marshals and managers who protect the nation's transportation systems so you and your family can travel safely. We look for bombs at checkpoints in airports, we inspect rail cars, we patrol subways with our law enforcement partners, and we work to make all modes of transportation safe.