Is This the Best Response to TSA?

Two words: Oklahoma City.

Williebee said:

Two words: Oklahoma City.

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Exactly. We should be on the lookout for tall skinny angular white guys with brush haircuts.

Well, thank God I've gone bald.

Me, I took care of the skinny part some time ago.

I still don't understand why people turn to racial profiling rather than behavioral profiling? Aren't there reasonable people anymore?

kuwisdelu said:

I still don't understand why people turn to racial profiling rather than behavioral profiling? Aren't there reasonable people anymore?

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I've wondered the same thing. . . .

I think folks are interested in the definition being 'Not Me'. Everybody has behavior

backslashbaby said:

I think folks are interested in the definition being 'Not Me'. Everybody has behavior

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Yeah. Like behavioral profiling would save ME any time in an airport.

"Y'all go on and catch your flight. I'm sure I'll be along in a little while."

kuwisdelu said:

I still don't understand why people turn to racial profiling rather than behavioral profiling?

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In large part because the 9/11 hijackers behaved like choirboys, until they were ready for business.

Why do I think the TSA employees (who appear to be sorely lacking in empathy and tactile skills) would be even worse at having to actually use their brains to profile any kind of thing at all, except maybe their own silhouette?




ETA: Some of the TSA emps, at some of the airports, some of the time.

If the last 50 horsenappings in Dodge City were committed by green people, you should probably pay a little more attention to green people when they're milling around your horses over the purple people.

That doesn't mean a purple person won't do the next horsenapping, but....stilll...

Pay a little more attention to the green people.

Duh.

All ethnic profiling will do is piss more people off and the TSA will have to put up with claims that they are racist. These people sound so hopelessly stupid and untrained. They need to be trained to look at people and think to themselves "Is that a suspicious bulge at the back of their shirt? Is something hidden there?" or "Does that person look nervous? I should question them and evaluate their behavioural responses" or "Why does that person have such little luggage?"

Jesus. I feel like I am more trained then these fellas just from listening to my boyfriend's customs stories.

I think the answer is we need psychics and crystal balls. Pretend to give people their fortunes in line when really they're reading their palms for signs of terrorism. It's got a 50/50 chance.

Why not learn from the best -

"Rather than all the invasive searches, they (Israeli airline El AL) interview every passenger and look for signs that the interviewee might be up to no good."

The former head of security for El AL contacted the TSA to offer suggestions and help, but they brushed him off.

http://www.dakotavoice.com/2010/11/intrusive-security-or-smart-security-the-el-al-way/

Atlantis said:

"Is that a suspicious bulge at the back of their shirt? Is something hidden there?"

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Or they could just be a hunchback.

or "Does that person look nervous? I should question them and evaluate their behavioural responses"

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A lot of people are nervous of flying so getting pulled over as being "suspicious" just makes the experience worse.

"Why does that person have such little luggage?"

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Day trip? Don't believe in materialism? They lost part of their luggage?

Behaviors are just tricky to figure out. TSA agents might as well cover their eyes and spin around till they stop and whoever they're facing wins a patdown.

Gregg said:

Why not learn from the best -

"Rather than all the invasive searches, they (Israeli airline El AL) interview every passenger and look for signs that the interviewee might be up to no good."

The former head of security for El AL contacted the TSA to offer suggestions and help, but they brushed him off.

http://www.dakotavoice.com/2010/11/intrusive-security-or-smart-security-the-el-al-way/

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Agreed.

From the same article....

As Dr. Theo has pointed out before, the Israeli airline El Al has a fantastic air travel safety record. Of course, they don’t play all the politically correct games we feel obligated to play here in the United States.

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Couldn't agree more.

The GAO has something to say about why behavioral profiling isn't in widespread use... yet.

A Transportation Security Administration program to screen passengers at airports based on their behavior missed at least 16 people later linked to terror plots, according to a government report released last week.

The program — dubbed Screening of Passengers by Observation Techniques — began testing in October 2003 to identify those who pose a risk to aviation security by focusing on behavior and appearance. But the program was introduced without valid "scientific basis" and still faces operational challenges, says the report by the Government Accountability Office. "A scientific consensus does not exist on whether behavior-detection principles can be reliably used for counterterrorism purposes," the report says.

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"Rather than all the invasive searches, they (Israeli airline El AL) interview every passenger and look for signs that the interviewee might be up to no good."

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If you think the current (and abominably stupid) TSA screening techniques make for long lines at Security, just wait until they start interviewing every passenger. Israel can do this primarily because it is a small nation with limited passenger air travel, nearly all of it to other countries. Nobody flies from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Imagine the amusement it would cause at, say, O'Hare or Dulles or JFK or LAX or DFW if the U.S. started interviewing every passenger.

I was behaviorally profiled two decades by security at Heathrow. Returing to the USA from Kuwait via Bahrain via London with a four day stay, as we were leaving on our last sector security looked at my passport, which contained stamps of a dozen or more countries including every Arab country on the Persian Gulf (except Iraq). They asked me why I went to all those countries, plus why I went to Turkey, then asked the big one: "Did anyone give you a wrapped package to carry with you?" I said yes, because a good friend had given me a small package to mail in the USA.

Security about came unglued, though acted very professional. The looked at everything, wanded me more than once, grilled me about each trip within the Middle East. They did all this even though I was travelling with my wife and two grade school children, was lilly white (my black features being not particularly strong), had two-way tickets for all of us, and was a citizen of the USA. And this was 11 years before 9/11.

And I didn't mind a bit. I'm sure based on my travel history, current residency, and whatever tips/intelligence they had at the time, it was a reasonable procedure for them to follow.

May the USA learn from the Brits.

NDG

Don said:

The GAO has something to say about why behavioral profiling isn't in widespread use... yet.

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Well, using humans to detect human behavior is a bit idiotic. For example, sexism comes into the equation - as it does in so many places - and suddenly, there's no objectivity. Hostility toward women aka favoritism toward males that do the same thing as females, prejudice toward race or jealousy of a young, strapping lad or lady with a beau. . . Nope, humans detecting human behavior isn't optimum. But, computer detection of visible sweat, elevated blood pressure, a lot of blinking during a quick interview, an exaggerated "calmness" despite signs of anxiety: that's a computer's job: objective, unabtrusive and mostly, not greedy, not sexist and not racist. . . .

Bird of Prey said:

Well, using humans to detect human behavior is a bit idiotic. For example, sexism comes into the equation - as it does in so many places - and suddenly, there's no objectivity. Hostility toward women aka favoritism toward males that do the same thing as females, prejudice toward race or jealousy of a young, strapping lad or lady with a beau. . .

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Or the chance to frisk your ex.

But, computer detection of visible sweat, elevated blood pressure, a lot of blinking during a quick interview, an exaggerated "calmness" despite signs of anxiety: that's a computer's job: objective, unabtrusive and mostly, not greedy, not sexist and not racist. . . .

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I don't think computers are there...yet. Plus, as I pointed out above, people could just be nervous of flying while the terrorists are totally cool with being about to blow something up.

If we all had our flying cars like they promised we could move on from all this ridiculousness.

blacbird said:

If you think the current (and abominably stupid) TSA screening techniques make for long lines at Security, just wait until they start interviewing every passenger. Israel can do this primarily because it is a small nation with limited passenger air travel, nearly all of it to other countries. Nobody flies from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Imagine the amusement it would cause at, say, O'Hare or Dulles or JFK or LAX or DFW if the U.S. started interviewing every passenger.

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Absolutely correct - even El Al suggests passengers arrive 3 hours early.
One of the problems with our system, IMO, is that we are reactive - one step behind the bombers. I have no idea how we become proactive, but solving last year's problem today may not be the best answer.

Gregg said:

solving last year's problem today may not be the best answer.

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Agree completely. I'm convinced that the next major terrorist incident in the U.S. (and there will be one, sooner or later) won't involve a hijacked airplane. Hell, how secure are we while we stand in those long lines outside airport gate security? A single person with a suicide bomb vest could cause immense bloodshed right there.