James Fallows has been writing about what he calls “security theater” from the Transportation Safety Administration, efforts that are designed to show the illusion of effort for security rather than actually increasing security.
Today, he posted about a Washington Post story about an effort by the TSA to have behavior-detection officers at US Airports. Laying aside my extreme dubiousness about the current vogue for training law enforcement officers to “read” peoples behavior to conclude whether they are lying, or the like, there’s another odd detail about this, uh, undercover effort.
“To identify potentially dangerous individuals, the Transportation Security Administration has stationed specially trained behavior-detection officers at 161 U.S. airports. The officers may be positioned anywhere, from the parking garage to the gate, trying to spot passengers who show an unusual level of nervousness or stress.
I do love this story. There’s good news from a report about the TSA in yesterday’s Washington Post! In addition to relying purely on the screening techniques we all know so well from airport security lines, the TSA has people roaming the airports checking out travelers who give off a suspicious vibe:
“They do not focus on nationality, race, ethnicity or gender, said TSA spokeswoman Sari Koshetz.
“We’re not looking for a type of person, but at behaviors,” she said.”
Good idea! The whole complaint about rule-based, one-size-fits-all screening systems is that they’re not sufficiently flexible, discriminating, or directed toward more serious threats.
On the other hand, this charming detail from the story:
“It’s not easy to spot detection officers. Working in teams of two and clad in TSA uniforms, they blend in with those performing screening chores at the security checkpoint.”
The cartoon is of course from xkcd.com
Has there ever been a cop who *didn’t* think he had above-average powers to detect lying?
And I only thought my experiences at airports couldn’t get any worse.
Although I am not aware of any middle aged white guys from the south blowing up airplanes or hijacking them to commit jihad against the infidels, apparently the security guards at the Memphis airport think that I am a potential terrorist threat. Every time I have to fly out of Memphis, it is a very unpleasant experience. By the time that I get through the security checks, having endured harsh orders and scolding from the guards, I am usually half-naked, walking with my shoes and belt in hand, sweating profusely, severely stressed out, in a foul mood, and in bad need of a stout drink. My wife just shakes her head at me and, time permitting, quietly escorts me to the closest bar.
So, it appears I may be in even more future trouble: “The officers may be positioned anywhere, from the parking garage to the gate, trying to spot passengers who show an unusual level of nervousness or stress.” These new guards with the “ESPN” could spell trouble for me —hopefully their great powers will be able to tell the difference between stress created by the security process itself and the type of dangerous stress they are looking for.
Interestingly, I have not had any such troubles at other airports across the country —Atlanta, Philly, Little Rock, Chicago, etc. Just Memphis. It is to the point that I dread flying out of Memphis, and am tempted to start driving further to use other airports to catch flights.
Nothing to do with airports or the tortures of modern air travel, but it needs to be said:
Happy Birthday, US Marine Corps!
Semper Fi.
Ooooraah.
AFOTL,
Whatever you do, don’t keep touching the bulge under jacket. It’s a tip-off that you’re carrying a weapon.
my girlfirend and i were flying out of puerto rico about two years ago, and we got fingered for looking nervous/edgy. they pulled us to an area that was barely visible from the checkpoint and questioned the hell out of us.
when you’ve been up for 3 days straight you probably look a little nervous, but that doesn’t make me a security threat.
In a hurry will get you stopped everytime.
On returning from Iraq last year, I elected to fly military to Kuwait, then commercial to Amsterdam, then CONUS from there. I could have flown commercial out of Baghdad, saving myself four miserable days in a filthy tent with 20 other ladies in 125º heat in Kuwait. But after researching Iraqi safety and security standards and 16 months of Iran-focused intelligence work, that C-130 looked pretty damn good. I was *really* ready to get home and eat some barbeque, but not to the point of foolishness.
I missed my connecting flight in Amsterdam because, it turns out, the Dutch may be even more suspicious than the Memphis folks. I’m not entirely certain what triggered the Dutch Inquisition–I was already in line to board the Delta flight to Atlanta when it began. I’m sure flying from Kuwait with a great deal of luggage didn’t help. I worked for DOD, but traveled under a civilian passport and without orders I could show them to quickly clear things up. I was in there for a little under three hours and began to wonder if they’d give me a phone call and the number to the American Embassy.
While a lily-white redhead in blue jeans would indeed mark a new look for terrorists, I prefer the harrassment to the alternative.
The Dutch remained unfailingly polite and professional throughout the ordeal. I think what’s so hard to swallow in Memphis is the barking and rudeness. That security line feels like sharing a phone booth with four chimps, a can of Crisco, and a football. I appreciate heightened security, but even my vast reserves of patience get stridently tested there.