“Translational Criminology” in action: a national survey of TSA’s Playbook implementation at U.S. Airports

Security at U.S. airports has been a key priority since September 11, 2001. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) was established shortly thereafter to oversee aviation security operations. However, there have been few rigorous evaluations of airport security strategies, and even less is known about how they are implemented in practice. As part of a larger study that used a “translational criminology” approach to map TSA’s “Playbook” security strategy onto effective policing and crime prevention practices, we conducted a first-of-its-kind survey of TSA personnel at U.S. airports to understand how the Playbook was implemented in practice. We found that while the Playbook was well implemented, adherence to its core components—targeted, focused prevention strategies and multi-agency collaboration—was varied. We conclude with research-informed recommendations for future program development.