Sky marshal
Encyclopedia
A sky marshal is an undercover law enforcement or counter terrorist agent on board a commercial aircraft
to counter aircraft hijacking
s. Sky marshals may be provided by airlines such as El Al
(who provide sky marshals on every flight), or by government agencies such as the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
, German Federal Police
or US Federal Air Marshal Service
.
in December 2001. These officers are generally referred to in the media as Sky Marshals.
The ASO Programme provides a discreet anti-hijacking
capability for Australian civil aviation by providing armed security personnel on board aircraft. This involves both random and intelligence-led placement of armed ASOs on flights operated by Australian registered air carriers, including domestic and international flights into and out of Australia.
Officers are armed and trained and equipped for a variety of situations on both domestic and international flights.
was signed between the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
with Transport Canada
, the authority responsible for Canadian aviation security, and the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority
(CATSA), for the implementation and administration of the CACPP.
The program is conducted by specially trained undercover, armed RCMP officers (known as Aircraft Protective Officers- APOs) on selected domestic and international flights and all flights to the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport
. Pilots
and flight attendants are advised of their presence and the officer will physically intervene should an unauthorized person attempt to gain control of an aircraft. APOs, however, will not be involved in controlling unruly passengers. While they are peace officer
within Canadian territories, they rely on section 6(2) of the Tokyo Convention as a legal basis for intervening an incident outside of Canadian airspace.
By law, such officers are exempt from acquiring a permit for importing or exporting their duty firearms when crossing the border. However, the exact nature of their weaponry is not released to the public except they are "deadly and effective and should not damage the aircraft."
began its "Sky Marshal" program in 1968, which eventually became the Federal Air Marshal Service
in 1985. That year, an Egyptian security officer on board EgyptAir Flight 648
opened fire on three Abu Nidal Organization hijackers, killing one before being fatally shot himself.
In 2005, Rigoberto Alpizar
was shot dead by two sky marshals on a jetway
at Miami International Airport
.
Currently, Federal Air Marshal Officers are under Transportation Security Administration
.
Under the Visible Intermodal Prevention Response (VIPR) system, started up circa 2005, FAMs began to patrol non-aviation sites like bus terminals and train stations.
, albeit in a very different context. In Robert A. Heinlein
's Starship Troopers
, the Sky Marshal is the uniformed commander-in-chief of the Terran Federation military who has risen to the highest rank in both the naval and infantry branches of the military. The Terran Federation
of the Starfire universe has a Sky Marshal in exactly the same position. This usage is somewhat akin in the air force rank of air marshal
.
In the film Executive Decision
, the fictional Oceanic Airlines
Flight 343 carried a Sky Marshal armed with a pistol, who played a minor role in subduing the Algerian hijackers.
The movie Anger Management
starts off with a confrontation between Adam Sandler
's character David "Dave" Buznik and an air marshal (played by Isaac C. Singleton Jr).
The air marshal played by Peter Sarsgaard
is a central character in the suspense thriller Flightplan
, starring Jodie Foster
, Erika Christensen
and Sean Bean
.
In the film Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay, air marshals tackle the titular protagonists to the ground after a passenger sees Kumar's marijuana
bong
in the lavatory, believing it to be a bomb, and the smoke coming from it poison gas; they are then sent to Guantanamo Bay as suspected terrorists.
In Passenger 57
, the Chief Air Marshal of Atlantic International Airlines stops a group of hijackers from taking over a Lockheed L-1011 Tristar airliner.
In the movie Get Smart
, the main character Maxwell Smart is mistakenly tackled by a sky marshal while beginning a mission on-board a plane.
In the film Due Date
, Robert Downey Jr.
's character is shot with a rubber bullet
by a sky marshal who mistakes him for a terrorist
In the film Bridesmaids, one of the main character's Megan is seated next to 'Air Marshal John', who claims not to be an air marshal throughout the flight until trouble commences.
Aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...
to counter aircraft hijacking
Aircraft hijacking
Aircraft hijacking is the unlawful seizure of an aircraft by an individual or a group. In most cases, the pilot is forced to fly according to the orders of the hijackers. Occasionally, however, the hijackers have flown the aircraft themselves, such as the September 11 attacks of 2001...
s. Sky marshals may be provided by airlines such as El Al
El Al
El Al Israel Airlines Ltd , trading as El Al , is the flag carrier of Israel. It operates scheduled domestic and international services and cargo flights to Europe, North America, Africa and the Far East from its main base in Ben Gurion International Airport...
(who provide sky marshals on every flight), or by government agencies such as the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
, German Federal Police
German Federal Police
The Bundespolizei is a uniformed federal police force in Germany. It is subordinate to the Federal Ministry of the Interior...
or US Federal Air Marshal Service
Federal Air Marshal Service
The Federal Air Marshal Service is a United States federal law enforcement agency under the supervision of the Transportation Security Administration of the United States Department of Homeland Security...
.
Australia
In response to the September 11 incidents, the Commonwealth instituted an Air Security Officer (ASO) Program under the Australian Federal PoliceAustralian Federal Police
The Australian Federal Police is the federal police agency of the Commonwealth of Australia. Although the AFP was created by the amalgamation in 1979 of three Commonwealth law enforcement agencies, it traces its history from Commonwealth law enforcement agencies dating back to the federation of...
in December 2001. These officers are generally referred to in the media as Sky Marshals.
The ASO Programme provides a discreet anti-hijacking
Aircraft hijacking
Aircraft hijacking is the unlawful seizure of an aircraft by an individual or a group. In most cases, the pilot is forced to fly according to the orders of the hijackers. Occasionally, however, the hijackers have flown the aircraft themselves, such as the September 11 attacks of 2001...
capability for Australian civil aviation by providing armed security personnel on board aircraft. This involves both random and intelligence-led placement of armed ASOs on flights operated by Australian registered air carriers, including domestic and international flights into and out of Australia.
Officers are armed and trained and equipped for a variety of situations on both domestic and international flights.
Canada
The Canadian Air Carrier Protection/Protective Program (CACPP) began on September 17, 2002 when a Memorandum of UnderstandingMemorandum of understanding
A memorandum of understanding is a document describing a bilateral or multilateral agreement between parties. It expresses a convergence of will between the parties, indicating an intended common line of action. It is often used in cases where parties either do not imply a legal commitment or in...
was signed between the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
with Transport Canada
Transport Canada
Transport Canada is the department within the government of Canada which is responsible for developing regulations, policies and services of transportation in Canada. It is part of the Transportation, Infrastructure and Communities portfolio...
, the authority responsible for Canadian aviation security, and the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority
Canadian Air Transport Security Authority
The Canadian Air Transport Security Authority is a Canadian Crown corporation responsible for the security screening at the 89 designated airports in Canada...
(CATSA), for the implementation and administration of the CACPP.
The program is conducted by specially trained undercover, armed RCMP officers (known as Aircraft Protective Officers- APOs) on selected domestic and international flights and all flights to the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport is a public airport located south of downtown Washington, D.C., in Arlington County, Virginia. It is the commercial airport nearest to Washington, D.C. For many decades, it was called Washington National Airport, but this airport was renamed in 1998 to...
. Pilots
Aviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
and flight attendants are advised of their presence and the officer will physically intervene should an unauthorized person attempt to gain control of an aircraft. APOs, however, will not be involved in controlling unruly passengers. While they are peace officer
Peace officer
A law enforcement officer , in North America, is any public-sector employee or agent whose duties involve the enforcement of laws. The phrase can include police officers, prison officers, customs officers, immigration officers, bailiffs, probation officers, parole officers, auxiliary officers, and...
within Canadian territories, they rely on section 6(2) of the Tokyo Convention as a legal basis for intervening an incident outside of Canadian airspace.
By law, such officers are exempt from acquiring a permit for importing or exporting their duty firearms when crossing the border. However, the exact nature of their weaponry is not released to the public except they are "deadly and effective and should not damage the aircraft."
United States
The US Federal Aviation AdministrationFederal Aviation Administration
The Federal Aviation Administration is the national aviation authority of the United States. An agency of the United States Department of Transportation, it has authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of civil aviation in the U.S...
began its "Sky Marshal" program in 1968, which eventually became the Federal Air Marshal Service
Federal Air Marshal Service
The Federal Air Marshal Service is a United States federal law enforcement agency under the supervision of the Transportation Security Administration of the United States Department of Homeland Security...
in 1985. That year, an Egyptian security officer on board EgyptAir Flight 648
EgyptAir Flight 648
EgyptAir Flight 648 was a Boeing 737-200 airliner, registered SU-AYH, hijacked on November 23, 1985 by the terrorist organization Abu Nidal. The subsequent raid on the aircraft by Egyptian troops resulted in dozens of deaths, making the hijacking of Flight 648 one of the deadliest such incidents in...
opened fire on three Abu Nidal Organization hijackers, killing one before being fatally shot himself.
In 2005, Rigoberto Alpizar
Rigoberto Alpizar
Rigoberto Alpizar was a Costa Rican-born United States citizen who was fatally shot at Miami International Airport by two United States federal air marshals....
was shot dead by two sky marshals on a jetway
Jetway
A jet bridge is an enclosed, movable connector which extends from an airport terminal gate to an airplane, allowing passengers to board and disembark without having to go outside...
at Miami International Airport
Miami International Airport
Miami International Airport , also known as MIA and historically Wilcox Field, is the primary airport serving the South Florida area...
.
Currently, Federal Air Marshal Officers are under Transportation Security Administration
Transportation Security Administration
The Transportation Security Administration is an agency of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that exercises authority over the safety and security of the traveling public in the United States....
.
Under the Visible Intermodal Prevention Response (VIPR) system, started up circa 2005, FAMs began to patrol non-aviation sites like bus terminals and train stations.
Fictional references
The term "sky marshal" has seen reference in some works of science fictionScience fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
, albeit in a very different context. In Robert A. Heinlein
Robert A. Heinlein
Robert Anson Heinlein was an American science fiction writer. Often called the "dean of science fiction writers", he was one of the most influential and controversial authors of the genre. He set a standard for science and engineering plausibility and helped to raise the genre's standards of...
's Starship Troopers
Starship Troopers
Starship Troopers is a military science fiction novel by Robert A. Heinlein, first published as a serial in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction and published hardcover in December, 1959.The first-person narrative is about a young soldier from the Philippines named Juan "Johnnie" Rico and his...
, the Sky Marshal is the uniformed commander-in-chief of the Terran Federation military who has risen to the highest rank in both the naval and infantry branches of the military. The Terran Federation
Terran Federation (Starfire)
The Terran Federation is a fictional government in the Starfire science fiction strategy game and novel universe. It should not be confused with the Terran Federation of Robert A. Heinlein's Starship Troopers, although there are some notable similarities...
of the Starfire universe has a Sky Marshal in exactly the same position. This usage is somewhat akin in the air force rank of air marshal
Air Marshal
Air marshal is a three-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
.
In the film Executive Decision
Executive Decision
Executive Decision is a 1996 action film, directed by Stuart Baird and starring Kurt Russell, Halle Berry and Steven Seagal. The original music was composed by Jerry Goldsmith...
, the fictional Oceanic Airlines
Oceanic Airlines
Oceanic Airlines and less frequently Oceanic Airways are fictional airlines used in several films and television programs.The most famous use of this brand is in the TV show Lost, where Oceanic Airlines is featured branded with a highly-stylized logo depicting an Aboriginal dot painting that...
Flight 343 carried a Sky Marshal armed with a pistol, who played a minor role in subduing the Algerian hijackers.
The movie Anger Management
Anger Management
Anger Management is a 2003 slapstick comedy film starring Adam Sandler and Jack Nicholson, directed by Peter Segal and written by David S. Dorfman...
starts off with a confrontation between Adam Sandler
Adam Sandler
Adam Richard Sandler is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, musician, and film producer.After becoming a Saturday Night Live cast member, Sandler went on to star in several Hollywood feature films that grossed over $100 million at the box office...
's character David "Dave" Buznik and an air marshal (played by Isaac C. Singleton Jr).
The air marshal played by Peter Sarsgaard
Peter Sarsgaard
John Peter Sarsgaard is an American film and stage actor. He landed his first feature role in the movie Dead Man Walking in 1995. He then appeared in the 1998 independent films Another Day in Paradise and Desert Blue. That same year, Sarsgaard received a substantial role in The Man in the Iron...
is a central character in the suspense thriller Flightplan
Flightplan
Flightplan is a 2005 thriller film directed by Robert Schwentke and starring Jodie Foster, Peter Sarsgaard, Erika Christensen, Kate Beahan, Greta Scacchi, and Sean Bean. It was released in North America on September 23, 2005...
, starring Jodie Foster
Jodie Foster
Alicia Christian "Jodie" Foster is an American actress, film director, producer as well as a former child actress....
, Erika Christensen
Erika Christensen
Erika Jane Christensen is an American actress whose film appearances include Traffic , Swimfan , How to Rob a Bank , and The Perfect Score , among others. She also co-starred in the short-lived drama Six Degrees on ABC...
and Sean Bean
Sean Bean
Shaun Mark "Sean" Bean is an English film and stage actor. Bean is best known for playing Boromir in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and, previously, British Colonel Richard Sharpe in the ITV television series Sharpe...
.
In the film Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay, air marshals tackle the titular protagonists to the ground after a passenger sees Kumar's marijuana
Cannabis (drug)
Cannabis, also known as marijuana among many other names, refers to any number of preparations of the Cannabis plant intended for use as a psychoactive drug or for medicinal purposes. The English term marijuana comes from the Mexican Spanish word marihuana...
bong
Bong
A bong is a filtration device/apparatus generally used for smoking cannabis, tobacco,or other herbal substances.In construction and function a bong is similar to a hookah, except smaller and more portable...
in the lavatory, believing it to be a bomb, and the smoke coming from it poison gas; they are then sent to Guantanamo Bay as suspected terrorists.
In Passenger 57
Passenger 57
Passenger 57 is a 1992 American action film starring Wesley Snipes and Bruce Payne. The film's success made Snipes a popular action hero icon.-Plot:...
, the Chief Air Marshal of Atlantic International Airlines stops a group of hijackers from taking over a Lockheed L-1011 Tristar airliner.
In the movie Get Smart
Get Smart (film)
Get Smart is a 2008 American spy-fi comedy film based on Mel Brooks and Buck Henry's 1960s spy parody television series of the same name. The film stars Steve Carell as Maxwell Smart and Anne Hathaway as Agent 99...
, the main character Maxwell Smart is mistakenly tackled by a sky marshal while beginning a mission on-board a plane.
In the film Due Date
Due Date
Due Date is a 2010 American comedy road film directed by Todd Phillips, co-written by Alan R. Cohen, Alan Freedland, and Adam Sztykiel, and starring Robert Downey, Jr. and Zach Galifianakis. The film was released on November 5, 2010...
, Robert Downey Jr.
Robert Downey Jr.
Robert John Downey, Jr. is an American actor. Downey made his screen debut in 1970 at the age of five when he appeared in his father's film Pound, and has worked consistently in film and television ever since. During the 1980s he had roles in a series of coming of age films associated with the...
's character is shot with a rubber bullet
Rubber bullet
Rubber bullets are rubber or rubber-coated projectiles that can be fired from either standard firearms or dedicated riot guns. They are intended to be a non-lethal alternative to metal projectiles...
by a sky marshal who mistakes him for a terrorist
In the film Bridesmaids, one of the main character's Megan is seated next to 'Air Marshal John', who claims not to be an air marshal throughout the flight until trouble commences.