LOGAN AIRPORT: Marshals to monitor passenger behavior

Union Leader ^ | 1/27/04 | JENNIFER PETER , AP

[kattracks]

BOSTON — The federal air marshals who travel undercover through Logan International Airport each day will become the first in the country to use Israeli-style behavior pattern recognition training to scan the crowd for suspicious activity, according to the leader of the Boston field office.

An undisclosed number of Boston-based marshals have been trained by the state police unit at Logan, which launched the nation’s first such program in 2002 to identify potentially suspicious passengers for further questioning.

“The responsibility of the federal air marshal doesn’t begin when the door of the aircraft closes,” said Jack Shea, the special agent in charge of the air marshal’s Boston field office. “They are watching when they get their ticket and when they’re moving through the terminals. The (behavior pattern recognition) system will be one more tool to ensure that Logan is a safe airport.”

As part of the new layer of security, specially trained officers analyze passengers for irregular behavior and try to identify people that may have hostile intentions. It was introduced at Logan by Israeli security expert Rafi Ron, a consultant who previously worked for El Al Airlines and Ben-Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv.

Potentially suspicious behavior could include wearing heavy clothes on a hot day, sweating on a cool day, loitering in the terminal without luggage, or even using a pay phone. Law enforcement officers who notice any irregular behavior are trained to then ask simple questions about their identity and look for an innocent explanation that could clear up any confusion.

[Caipirabob]

As long as they don't bother me, just the little people...

[Prodigal Son]

Potentially suspicious behavior could include wearing heavy clothes on a hot day, sweating on a cool day, loitering in the terminal without luggage, or even using a pay phone.

Those pay phone users have always freaked me out.

[billorites]

"Boston-based marshals"

These guys are gonna stick out.

[heleny]

The federal air marshals who travel undercover through Logan International Airport each day will ... scan the crowd for suspicious activity
...
Law enforcement officers who notice any irregular behavior are trained to then ask simple questions about their identity and look for an innocent explanation that could clear up any confusion.

If the air marshals themselves question the suspicious people, wouldn't that reveal that the air marshals are working undercover?

[KantianBurke]

"Law enforcement officers who notice any irregular behavior are trained to then ask simple questions about their identity and look for an innocent explanation that could clear up any confusion."

And if anyone comes up and starts asking questions and is given a quick response of "piss off" what happens then? You don't HAVE to answer any questions?

[webstersII]

"You don't HAVE to answer any questions?"

Didn't you know that you gave up that right awhile back? Dude, that right is so old now that hardly anyone ever remembers it anymore. Soon they will write it out of the history books so we won't be bothered by the memory, either.

[freeeee]

Police state? What police state?

And vy are you using that payphone, comrade?

[LibertyGirl77]

"Those pay phone users have always freaked me out."

Seriously. Who doesn't have a cell phone these days? Very suspicious, indeed. I think this could be "series" -- "HUGH," even!

[Prodigal Son]

Who doesn't have a cell phone these days?

Me for one ;-)