Tech: US airports use SPOT checks

[dracodraconis]

Airport security personnel in the US are being asked to be more friendly with passengers, but not for the reasons you might think. The friendly conversation is part of a SPOT (Screening Passengers by Observation Technique) assessment in which they watch for microfacial expressions of fear, anger surprise, or contempt. Observing any of these expressions could have you escorted to a secondary screening area where you submit to a pat-down, X-ray, or other more invasive search methods. In the past year, more than 70,000 people have been deferred with approximately 700 being arrested when it was discovered that they were, in fact, breaking the law. Found on Slashdot.

Comments

[samhaine.livejournal.com]

Bah, they need to read the SRD. That's not what Spot is for. They should be calling for Sense Motive rolls.

[dracodraconis.livejournal.com]

I'll leave it to you to tell the TSA that they need to put points into a different skill... just let me know so I can sit somewhere within earshot of you explaining to a couple of security guards that they need an acronym for SENSE MOTIVE. SM perhaps? Could explain the handcuffs.

[nocnitsa.livejournal.com]

700,000 to 700. I'll assume that some of those arrests were minor and I doubt that any of them were bomb-carriers.

The whole idea of airports is terrifying now. It might prevent me from seeing the east. Maybe a boat..

[dracodraconis.livejournal.com]

Not a single terrorist was found, but those caught were smuggling drugs, had outstanding arrest warrants, or had other reasons for wanting to be as far away from security as possible. Still, a 1% return? It means 99% of the people checked were innocent but were treated like criminals. How many of them will now go out of their way to avoid flying?

[ancalagon-tb.livejournal.com]

Indeed. Breaking the law, that's a pretty vague term wasn't it. If someone goes through the border carrying a joint, I *don't care*.

Now the question is, is this more or less accurate than the judgment of the border guards? I'm sure that they treat innocent people like criminals fairly regularly too.

[samhaine.livejournal.com]

Yeah, even when the massive costs of flying instead of driving are covered by my employer, I hate to fly. I'm afraid to check my luggage and I'm afraid not to. I get so flustered making sure my watch is in the xray bin that I forget to deposit my cell phone.

And since it's a government thing rather than a market thing, even if a competing transit method was developed, it would likely have the same problems.

[ziggy-b.livejournal.com]

I suspect that the canadian border guys have had a similar method for years. They are always very friendly and asking seemingly innocent questions, but that relaxes me and makes me feel less worried whereas I suspect they would be very interested in someone who didn't have such a normal reaction. Things like "Oh Mexico, sounds like fun! Did you have a good time? Lots of sunshine?"

It's impossible to know for certain, but I suspect that this technique is more effective than scaring everyone by being aggressive. I have never minded going through Canadian border points (although Montreal always seems to be overly busy and slow) but I'm not very fond of going to the U.S. (Mind you, there are additional reasons for this, including an assumed loss of freedom for 'security' reasons)