Logan Airport to look for unusual passenger behavior

CNN ^ | 11/16/2002 | AP

[MatthewViti]

BOSTON, Massachusetts (AP) -- Airline passengers accustomed to having their bags, their pockets and even their shoes checked are now encountering state troopers trained to examine their heads.

Last week Logan International Airport began the nation's first "behavioral recognition program," in which police give what they describe as a "human lie detector test" to passengers with odd or suspicious behavior.

[MatthewViti]

profile away!

[mewzilla]

I've never flown El Al, but it seems to me I've heard their interview process takes more than a few minutes. And I'd like to know how much training these troopers have had. I'm not knocking the idea, mind you, just being skeptical about how well it's going to be implemented here.

[Bobby777]

isn't it true that they detained Mohammed Atta and co. for 30-40 minutes ... examining his "death suit" replete with koran, etc.? ... and THEN they ALLOW them to board the aircraft without putting a SINGLE FBI or some other security personnel on board? ...

[MatthewViti]

I have no idea, I just picked up the story from CNN a few mins. ago, but it seems like a good thing and Logan is the airport my family and I mainly use.

[Ground0]

Yea, but if you look blatantly gay and wear an "Ilove Teddy" button you'll breeze right through.

[ItisaReligionofPeace]

"Quite frankly, if you're looking at the race and ethnicity of a person, you'll miss the terrorist," Robbins said.

I love it when people say feel good things like this without even thinking about it. Sure you shouldn't focus exclusively on one race or ethnicity, but you should sure as heck focus more of your attention on certain types of people.

[ItisaReligionofPeace]

El Al talks to EVERYONE who is flying.

[Cicero]

"Quite frankly, if you're looking at the race and ethnicity of a person, you'll miss the terrorist," Robbins said.

Comments like this may be meant for public consumption, and to placate the ACLU. But they don't build much confidence in the screening program. The Israelis are experts at it. And they don't start out with one hand tied behind their backs like this.

[Bobby777]

I suspect Maj. Robbins couldn't find a glazed donut in Krispy Kreme either ...

[MatthewViti]

I didn't say that I agreeded with that, the point of the post was to show that there is some progress and it's good. It's better than none at all. I wish we did what they do in Israel here in the US. The majority of the public wants profiling and the media seems content on showing otherwise.

[error99]

"Logan Airport to look for unusual passenger behavior"

The unusual behavior of passengers?
Or
The behavior of unusual passengers?
Or what?

[ItisaReligionofPeace]

I wasn't responding to you! I was responding to the post.

[MatthewViti]

Oh okay =P

btw, you nick on FR has to be my fave.

[Cobra64]

Logan Airport to look for unusual passenger behavior.

It appears that Teddy took a commercial flight.

[ItisaReligionofPeace]

thanks. I always smile when I see the poster, "sheikyerbouty"

[jiggyboy]

Indeed. I've had more than my fair share of contact with law enforcement, and I gotta say from those experiences is that the typical flatfoot does much worse than a coin flip when it comes to figuring out who's telling the truth and who's telling a lie -- and not even a good lie.

[Cobra64]

In that state, all of the above.

[Gritty]

He would not say exactly what type of behavior is considered odd or suspicious.

I have a suggestion for an initial screening to speed up the process. Make them eat a free handful of pork rinds. If they refuse, pull 'em aside and start asking serious questions.

[livius]

Not a bad idea. Of course, they'll probably be focusing on innocent middle-aged American white women.

I get scrutinized all the time because (i) I tend to buy last-minute (cheap) flights; (ii) I travel a lot to one country, Spain (I'm a Spanish translator and do it to keep my language skills in shape and because it's a tax deduction); (iii) and I had my passport stolen once, with the result that my current passport was issued in Madrid.

It's irritating, but that's life. However, what's really irritating is that "women" - or who knows what - shrouded in a ton of cloth get waved through without even a second glance.

I was at JFK a couple of months ago, and one of these "ladies" was sitting there, clothed in a bag so that only her ankles were visible (oh, and the two little holes for her eyes). The disturbing thing was that she must have been six feet tall, much taller than her little probably Pakistani husband, and her ankles were quite thick and quite white. Maybe she was just a large German or British woman married to a Pakistani - or maybe "she" was something else altogether.

But I bet nobody checked.

[pabianice]

Unusual behavior? Boston? This is too easy...