Posted on 08/03/2011 8:52:28 AM PDT by ccj85
Passengers flying through Boston’s Logan International Airport will notice the security screeners are chattier than usual, but it’s not an improved customer service policy.
On Tuesday the Transportation Security Administration began a test-run at Logan of its SPOT program, which stands for Screening of Passengers by Observation Techniques. SPOT uses trained screeners known as Behavior Detection Officers (BDOs) to determine if passengers are a threat, based on their reactions to a set of routine questions.
“The vast majority of passengers will experience a casual greeting conversation with the BDO as they go through identity verification,” a TSA spokesperson said. “A small portion of passengers may get selected for an extended, but still limited conversation.”
According to the Boston Herald, the BDOs will ask three to four questions — from “Where have you been?” to “Do you have a business card?” and “Where are you traveling?” — while looking for minute facial cues that may indicate deception or malicious intent.
Since its creation in 2007, TSA’s SPOT program has grown almost fifteen-fold. As of May 2010, about 3,000 BDOs were deployed at 161 airports nationwide at an annual cost of more than $200 million.
So far, after three years of operation and almost $1 billion spent, SPOT has never been scientifically proven effective and has never caught one actual terrorist.
Read full article at: http://thedc.com/neGK6n
(Excerpt) Read more at thedc.com ...
sounds like it is based on the rock solid israeli airport security screening techniques...
Uh oh, my grandmother doesn't carry a business card. Now what?
As long as we don’t profile. We wouldn’t want to do anything that’s actually effective. This is why I don’t fly anymore.
I never talk to these people.
Some of the questions Mr. Janet Napolitano’s goons will ask to find ‘suspicious people’:
Are you a member of the “Tea Party”?
Do you feel pride when you look at the American flag?
Are you a Christian?
Have you ever voted for a Republican?
Do you object to higher taxes?
Do you own a gun?
Do you post on Free Republic?
On the frequent flyer board at www.flyertalk.com, I saw a story about a year ago about a passenger who encountered a “chatty” TSA agent.
The traveler looked at the TSA guy and said, “See SPOT. See SPOT run. Run, SPOT, run. Go away, SPOT.” The TSA guy walked away.
of course,interpreters will have to be hired
to accommodate non-English speakers..
Papers, please....
The terrorists now know the questions and will prepare appropriate answers.
A TOTAL waste of our money, like most federal spending.
Let’s hope so. Most posters here don’t seem to get it.
On second thought, I would probably be sent to a re-education camp.
Me either. By the time I get to the TSA check in I am already po’ed because I had to be in the darn airport 3 hrs. They get nasty looks and blank stares from me. Guess that makes me a terrorist.
I was standing in a Southwest Airlines boarding line yesterday at St. Louis airport. A TSA dude came right up to me and asked to look in my backpack (I’d already been passed through security). I guess because it’s a camo backpack, I looked like a terrorist. Good thing I wasn’t wearing my NRA cap.
WHAT..is your name?...
This makes more sense to me than patting down Granny.
Still like to fly, folks? (P.S., I realize that some have to—part of their job.)
That's OK, the groping and zapping hasn't caught one either. Par for the course for TSA.
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