In a recent attempt to improve airport security, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will place “behavior detection officers” (BDOs) in airports across the United States. BDOs are TSA agents who have been trained to identify suspicious airline passengers through a system of detecting subtle body and facial cues of deception. The security program was first tested 4 years ago at Boston’s Logan International Airport, the airport where two terrorists passed through security and hijacked two planes on September 11, 2001.
Currently, BDOs are in place at more than a dozen airports, yet the TSA has set a target goal of placing 500 BDOs throughout the country by the end of 2008.
TSA claims that the program has already led to multiple arrests as BDOs have correctly identified illegal immigrants, drug traffickers and terrorist suspects attempting to board passenger airplanes in the past year.
The “Art” of Behavior Detection
The training program is based from the study of facial signals or body movements called “micro expressions.” According to this science, micro expressions are displayed in less than a second and are revealed when people attempt to conceal their emotions. In the case of airport security, BDOs would specifically monitor for signs of fear and disgust as these emotions are closely linked to emotions of deception.
TSA plans to place BDOs in pairs at various locations throughout airports. The pairs of BDOs would then secretly work together to screen passengers. For example, a BDO at a ticket counter could pose standard and open questions to a passenger. If the passenger’s words or social interactions arouse suspicion, a second BDO secretly conducting routine procedures nearby, would then subtly confront the passenger. This subtle confrontation could range from offering to help the passenger retrieve luggage to asking what the passenger’s final destination or plans might be. If the passenger’s responses and body language continue to signal deceptive alarms, the BDOs could refer the passenger to on-site law enforcement for further questioning.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is also looking to take this concept one step further. Jay M. Cohen, the undersecretary of Homeland Security for Science and Technology, is backing efforts to develop an automated version of behavior detection that would utilize video cameras and computers. Cohen is consulting with scientists to begin the development of a technology that could combine the measure of micro expressions with body temperature, heart rate and respiratory rate.
Methods Could Contribute to Airport Safety
An effective system of subtle investigations at airports will likely contribute to the detection of potential terrorists and other criminals attempting to board airplanes. However, the program is also likely to cause possible delays and added amounts of stress for passengers who reveal emotions of fear and disgust for reasons not related to malicious intent. The success of the program will undoubtedly be weighed against potential needless disruption to the flying public.
However, to enhance security efforts at US airports, an increasing amount of scrutiny is a small price to pay to ensure that potential terrorists do not board US airplanes. In the end, the TSA behavior detection program may become an effective deterrent and could help reduce the chance of terrorist situations from occurring on board US airlines.
