Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

TSA's New Strategy: Chats With Passengers

Agency plans to borrow security ideas from Israel

By Tim Karan, Newser Staff

Posted Jul 29, 2011 2:31 PM CDT

(Newser) – Get ready to reveal more than just your underwear at airport security checkpoints: TSA officers plan to start chatting up more passengers as part of the screening process. The agency already has "behavior detection officers" at work in airports across the US, but the new strategy calls for more one-on-one conversations, reports Politico (picking up on an interview TSA chief John Pistole gave to CNN). It could be in place next month.

The method is based in part on tactics used at airports in Israel. "There's a lot—under that Israeli model—a lot that is done that is obviously very effective," said Pistole. Critics, however, have said the Israeli system amounts to profiling. Pistole also said the agency will take a new approach to kids: "I think we can do a different way of screening children that recognizes that the very high likelihood they do not have a bomb on them." In other words, fewer patdowns, like this controversial one.

The TSA plans to roll out a new initiative in August involving conversations with passengers. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

A passenger, at right, is patted down by a Transportation Security Administration agent. (Getty Images)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

CLICK BELOW TO VOTE

60%

11%

19%

To report an error on this story, notify our editors.

More Newser Stories

So How Many Terrorists Has the TSA Actually Caught?

None—that it's publicized, at least

(NEWSER) - There's no denying that the country is in an uproar over the TSA's new heightened security procedures, raising one fairly obvious questions: Does the TSA actually catch terrorists? The answer isn't very clear-cut, writes Juliet Lapidos in Slate 's Explainer column. The TSA won't cite any specific instance when it stopped a terrorist; it says that's because of national security concerns, but some argue it's actually because the organization has never actually stopped a terrorist. More»

Families, Line Up Here—if You Have Time

Airports to offer security lane for kin, travel newbies

(NEWSER) - Airports will allow families to line up in more leisurely security lanes for the coming holiday season, the AP reports. The checkpoints, which have proven popular in tests at 48 US airports, allow slow-moving families to stick together and less seasoned travelers to avoid scrambling for standard Transportation Security Administration procedure. More»

Improved Security Lost in 'Maze'

Post-9/11 promises haven't translated into better airport security systems

(NEWSER) - Whiz-bang technology that would keep terrorists from destroying airplanes, promised after the 9/11 attacks, hasn't materialized, the Washington Post reports. The various players blame each other for bureaucratic, legal, and market failures. One security-industry exec calls the Transportation Security Administration "a maze"; TSA officials blame firms for not delivering what they've promised. More»

Flier Strips to Protest Airport Security

Oregon man told cops he was sick of being harassed by TSA

(NEWSER) - A Portland man who'd had enough of TSA screening made it absolutely clear he wasn't carrying any contraband—but still missed his flight. John Brennan, 49, was busted after he stripped naked to protest airport security screening, AP reports. "While some passengers covered their eyes and their children's eyes, and moved away from the screening area, others stepped out of the screening lanes to look, laugh, and take photos," the police incident report says. Officials say drugs and alcohol were not involved. More»

Air Passengers Need Knives and Liquids

Ex-TSA chief Kip Hawley: 'You probably hate us'

(NEWSER) - Let passengers carry knives, lighters, and liquids on board flights. In fact, eliminate all banned items, and get rid of baggage fees while you're at it. So argues former TSA chief Kip Hawley, who writes in the Wall Street Journal that "the TSA's mission is to prevent a catastrophic attack on the transportation system, not to ensure that every single passenger can avoid harm while traveling." He's no PR dummy either, noting that "if you're a frequent traveler, you probably hate us." More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

TSA's New Strategy: Chats With Passengers

Agency plans to borrow security ideas from Israel

OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR

terrorism • airport security • TSA • airport screener • security checkpoint • terrorist attacks

MOST POPULAR STORIES

[ By Views ]

[ By Comments ]

More Newser Stories

So How Many Terrorists Has the TSA Actually Caught?

None—that it's publicized, at least

Families, Line Up Here—if You Have Time

Airports to offer security lane for kin, travel newbies

Improved Security Lost in 'Maze'

Post-9/11 promises haven't translated into better airport security systems

Flier Strips to Protest Airport Security

Oregon man told cops he was sick of being harassed by TSA

Air Passengers Need Knives and Liquids

Ex-TSA chief Kip Hawley: 'You probably hate us'

About Us

Site

Community

Site Maps

Tools

More News

What is Newser?