How Does a Federal Air Marshal Spend a Workday?
Undercover Law Enforcement Agent A federal air marshal, formerly known as a sky marshal, is an undercover law enforcement officer who is highly trained to respond to terrorist threats or other criminal activity on board U.S. domestic and foreign flights. These government agents are on call 24 hours, as they can be deployed anywhere in the world with less than an hour’s notice. Trained to detect and deal with hostile situations targeting U.S. airports, aircraft, passengers, and crew, a federal air marshal is often required to operate without backup. For this reason, it is crucial for an agent to maintain a low profile in an effort to blend in with the other passengers on the flight. On the Job Protecting anonymity is essential for a federal air marshal to do his or her job effectively. It also prevents agents from becoming easy targets for hijackers. One problem that officers face, though, is that they are required to walk through security checkpoint exit lanes, and are one of the first
