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Think the TSA should start profiling? It already does

January 15, 2010

This is a Transportation Security Administration checkpoint at about 7 a.m. today at Orlando International Airport. If you stepped across the barrier (I wouldn’t recommend it) and talked with one of these air travelers, you’d discover they have one thing in common: They’ve all been profiled.

They’re standing in the Spanish-speaking line.

There’s a screener at the front of the line, where passengers’ IDs and boarding passes are checked. She’s a native Spanish speaker, and she’s funneling the passengers into the line, presumably based on their ethnicity and accent. There’s a Spanish-speaking TSA agent helping the travelers with their questions.

So what?


Well, there’s been a lot of talk lately about the TSA adopting Israeli-style screening techniques, including profiling every airline passenger. This makes sense. Terrorists who bomb airlines tend to fit a certain description.

I don’t know for a fact that someone in Washington said, “We need a Spanish line.” (Orlando has a family-only line that I’ve used, and it’s one of the greatest ideas ever.)

Maybe some agents just took it upon themselves, because it worked, to group all of the Spanish-speaking passengers in the same line.

Intentional or not, the line works. The travelers, many of whom don’t habla Ingles, move through the checkpoint faster. And that’s good.

What’s not good? Well, where does it stop? A line for single travelers? Expectant mothers? People who wear hats? Should they require every passenger that appears to be of Middle Eastern descent submit to a secondary screening?

I don’t know. I’m one of those passengers who could pass for Middle Eastern. Or Hispanic. And I’m just a little older than the average terrorist. I could end up in the “must screen” line every time, if profiling becomes a reality.

I don’t know how I feel about that.

Christopher Elliott is the author of Scammed: How to Save Your Money and Find Better Service in a World of Schemes, Swindles, and Shady Deals. Critics have called it “eye-opening” and “inspiring” — it’ll “grab your attention and won’t let go.” Order your copy now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble or iTunes.

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62 comments

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  • William Beem

    I understand it from a communications perspective, but it still seems like preferential treatment to me. Hey, just pretend not to understand English and you can get through the security line faster. What a great deal!

    On my last flight, I found special lanes for family, but they let occasional single women through who pleaded helplessly. The way the line was routed at OIA pretty much blocked access to the expert line in December, and even so, it was getting flooded by anyone who was close to it. TSA was doing a horrible job of line management in Orlando.

    I can picture myself in a long line in Orlando and noticing this new express lane for people who speak Spanish. That’s great for them. It’s unfair to everyone else who has to slog through when it’s crowded.

  • y_p_w

    I’ve been through Miami, and can attest that every line was practically a Spanish speaking line. It was pretty much assumed that all personnel were bilugual. I don’t think there was a single employee at the American Airlines counter or the TSA security checkpoint who didn’t speak Spanish. I suppose Orlando might be different with a smaller proportion of Spanish speakers and an extremely high proportion of tourists.

    What’s to prevent people from simply walking over the the shorter line? In my experience most airline/TSA workers who do speak Spanish are bilingual.

  • Roxy

    How about posting some INS agents in that Spanish speaking line and checking legal status of these flyers?

  • EJC

    Midway has a line for families, and a line for expert travelers. I am all for the family of four with two carseats and a bag full of baby formula getting their own line

  • Justin

    Chris,

    I don’t think profiling is worth it’s weight in gold.

    Jose Padilla – Spanish
    Nigerian Bomber – Black
    Richard Reid – Biracial (White + Jamaican).

    Or in the Past we had:

    Unibomber – White
    Timothy Mcveigh – White

    So who do we profile? Where does it end? I have NOTHING against checking people for weapons and insuring that we all get from A to B safely. However, turning airports into prisons where we are “electronically strip searched”, profiling, etc IS NOT the way to solve things. It seems our society is so entrenched in this “Terrorist” hysteria that we forget our chances of being hit are about as much as winning the lottery. As I said in other posts.

    132,000 Americans Dead in the 8.25 years since 9/11 and a few thousand killed due to terrorism. Far be it for me to point out the obvious. Yet, threaten to take away guns from Americans and you have a public outcry. Profile the living crap out of them, take away our rights, and everyone seems hunky dory to do it. Might I state, our fellow countrymen seem to be reactionary idiots at this point in time? Not all, but a lot (especially politicians).

    Justin

  • Frank Palmer

    Um isn’t this the United States of America?????? Isn’t our language english?

    I think this is a very slippery slope. What about other languages? Then again this is the TSA were talking about. Seems they are continuing there intelligence deficit.

  • Cassivella

    We have a weird situation in Columbus, Ohio where we have a very large population of Somalians due to some refugee programs (I have heard that the Columbus area has a higher density of Somalians than anywhere other than Somalia. Government offices and hospitals and such post signs in three languages – English, Spanish, and Somali (which I’ve never seen posted anywhere in the US or other parts of the world I’ve visited).

    Anyway, due to this demographic cluster (also due to Columbus having the largest university campus in the world), we have a larger than average number of travelers who are in ethnic dress, oftentimes covered completely from head to toe in billowy fabric (both male and female travelers).

    While I celebrate the diversity of my community (Somali food is awesome!), I cringe every time I get stuck in a security line behind an extended family of women wearing full dress and head coverings. Frankly, regardless of their nationality or religion, they just take longer to screen because they are wearing less-form fitting clothing and often have limited English.

    We have a security line for families and for person with medical equipment that needs screened. Why not create one for other persons, that regardless of the reason why (you know the ones that just scream clueless in the security line), will require more time to screen?

    That can shorten the line for those of us who know the rules and can pass through security quickly without fear of missing something (people who know how to dress for airports, know how to pack appropriately, and who are ready to go through with shoes off and stuff binned). That way, we can focus our TSA resources on people who require more time to be screened.

  • Justin

    @ Frank,

    English is our language, but seeing only a Generation or two ago, immigrants came to this country FROM all over the world. IE. Ellis Island. English is the adopted language, but there is no “Official” language. If one wants to argue, technically the southwestern states have the official language of “Spanish” and also French. As the Louisiana Purchase bought vasts amounts of land from France in 1803. Matter of fact, Louisiana has a large population of French Speaking Creole who are MORE NATIVE to this country than the rest of us. Better yet, much of the south west belonged to Mexico. Today, there are loads of Spanish speakers there. Less we forget, Native Americans were here first and their language wasn’t English.

    Now am I saying that making an official language is wrong. No.. However, to say “Speak English” or get out is to merely tell generations before us that your language sucks, learn ours. Granted, everyone speaking the same tongue does make things easier. Also, I do agree that ENGLISH should be the primary language in schools. As that is the tongue this country uses to communicate. Still, we simply can’t invalidate others culture.

  • Justin

    @ Roxy,

    Seeing how they are FLYING in to the country, departing, and have the money to travel in general, I’m guessing most would be legal. Want illegal immigrants, go visit a Home Depot etc. You’ve got a far better chance of finding them there, than say at an airport.

  • Mort B

    Justin seems to be confounding several different, but perhaps related, issues. As for profiling, let’s talk about airline incidents only; just one would-be terrorist that I am aware of was not an muslim-arab. Should people of this type be profiled and subjected to extra security controls if they wish to fly ? Absolutely!

    I will go further, and note that while much has been made of the so-called “red flags” which were ignored in the case of the NW flight on Xmas day, there are also “green flags” of which nobody seems to be aware. For example, how many terrorist and would-be terrorists have been participants in a major frequent-flyer program for ten years or longer? The answer: NONE. How many have been U.S. citizens and are over the age of 50? Once again, NONE. Why is the TSA not using these indicators to reduce the security burden on these folks, and thus free up resources to concentrate on the more likely terrorists?

    There is an old adage which suggests that one should seek a lost object where it has been lost, and not where it is simply more convenient to search. Let’s apply the same kind of thinking to the question of airline security.

  • Ronda Cantin

    I think ideas like these can go both ways. on the one hand, they can make air travel easier for people, but on the other hand it could be seen as discriminary or racist. and its way to easy for the TSA to take an idea too far. Where I dont see any harm in creating lines for families, or business travellers, Spanish speaking people(or whatever language) I agree with what was said in the article, how long till theres a line for anyone that may have east indian ancestry, and such.
    A better idea would be have a line for business travellers and for families, that way its as easy as it will get with security lines. and for people of interrest create a system that goes by name, age, (no more frisking 8 year olds), description etc. It would be alot more convienient than the current system even if it does mean more work to set it up. Right now the screening system is stupid. If the TSA did its job the christmas day incident wouldnt have happened. if the TSA had a proper registry to work with that included more details other than the name, children wouldnt be pulled for additional screening. If the TSA had a proper system in place, they wouldnt look like a bunch of un co-ordinated morons, they’d look like a put together organization designed to be America’s last defence for terrorism… you know like it was designed to be.

  • Ed F London

    I think we all miss a point. All airline passengers are profiled, aren’t they. We don’t have security checks at rail or bus stations. Then, again, in the 70s was it, no one was hijacking buses, boats, or trains to Cuba or elsewhere.

    So already we’re set apart from other travelles. It’s only a matter a gradation. Profile me (as I was when leaving Israel – I asked them not to make me test the sample of Dead Sea water I had packed in my suitcase as I’d already had one mouthful). Take a body scan of me (might provide someone some comedic relief if it gets loose on the web).

    And otherwise believe me when I say I am all for independence and liberty. I just don’t find the process as intrusive as others seem to.

  • Liz

    @Frank Palmer

    Sure, but that doesn’t stop people from Spanish speaking countries from flying to/from the US.

    It’s not just citizens that use our airports.

  • http://www.thingsinthesky.com Dan Webb

    @Frank Palmer – It’s an international airport…by your standard, I need to know German if I want to travel to/from/through FRA/MUC, French for CDG, etc.

    Elliott, I really don’t get this post…you don’t mention that any TSA officer is forcing passengers to use the line, so if they’re choosing to use it, how is that profiling? And, by your own standard, how can you enjoy using the family lane? Isn’t that profiling, too?

  • http://tiffanybbrown.com/ tiffany

    “As for profiling, let’s talk about airline incidents only; just one would-be terrorist that I am aware of was not an muslim-arab.”

    Okay Mort, let’s play that game. Let’s give extra scrutiny to Muslims. How do you identify them? By name? “Richard Reid” is as Anglo as it gets. By appearance? Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab looks like your average black dude to me. We could, I suppose, search everyone brown since brown folks are disproportionately Muslim. But that overlooks plenty of southern European Muslims and white American converts. Good luck with that strategy.

  • http://www.nyceducated.info/ Michael Perlman

    I’ve flown El Al (and Continental dparting from Tel Aviv, where the airport manages security), and seen their security lines, and from the average look of things, any profiling occuring is certainly very subtle. The TSA seems to be taking the opposite approach – they don’t look to pick out only the terrorist who matches a certain profile; they examine an entire group as if they are guilty until proven innocent.

  • Nobody

    From the TSA Secure Flight Web Site FAQ page:
    Q. If the name printed on my boarding pass is different than what appears on my government ID, will I still be able to fly?
    A. Secure Flight is a behind-the-scenes process that TSA and airlines collaborate on to compare the information you provide against government watch lists. The additional data elements that you may be asked to provide, such as date of birth and gender, serve to better differentiate you from individuals on the government watch list.
    http://www.tsa.gov/what_we_do/layers/secureflight/

    Here lies First Middle Last
    Dead at Secondary Screening
    The Crime?
    Boarding Pass was only First Last
    RIP
    Nobody Was Faster

  • Paulette Baker

    @ Ronda: Since the Christmas flight originated in another country, the onus was on the Netherlands to keep the Nigerian off the plane. TSA is only one of the federal agencies involved in compiling and implementing the no-fly list. The fact that those other agencies didn’t get around to merging the suspected terrorist and no-fly lists is at the heart of the near disaster. TSA makes an easy target, though, because that’s who travelers have to deal with. I only fly a few times a year, so I admit that my personal experience with TSA is not broad. But the TSA personnel I’ve dealt with have been courteous and helpful, even the times I’ve been wanded (hardware in my left ankle that sometimes sets off the alarms). Maybe their attitude toward me has something to do with mine toward them. I’m polite, smile, and say thank-you. After all, considering all the negative comments on travel blogs, they’re doing a thankless job.

  • Kevin

    In Israel, they use psychological profiling, not racial profiling and they have grown quite good at it.

    I do see several comments on this blog I find concerning.

    One person wants to use the secuity line as a second INS line even though there is already and INS screening process that works very well. Very few illegal immigrants arrive via plane except those with proper visas that later over-stay. It would be an outragous waste of money to hire extra INS agents for something that is not a problem…it would also dilute the focus of the safety screening.

    And the English only people really did not think their comments through. Why would any tourist who flies to the USA from other country be required to learn English first? And even if they do not English, they might understand better in their native language. I am an expat that lives in Peru and I am bilingual, but I listen to the news in English because I understand it a little bit better. Further, some people may not even be coming to the USA, they might be going from Panama to Spain, flying through the USA. Must they learn English simply because their airline passes through the USA?

    Also, fully 20% or more of expats here from the USA do not speak Spanish. It is sort of emabrassing from time to time I have to explain that the USA is a do as a I, not as I do country in that regards.

  • Christopher Elliott

    @Dan Webb, to clarify, the officer at the front of the line was ordering us into various lines, so yes, she was “asking” people to go in the lines. I’m sure they could have refused, but no one was, as far as I could tell.

  • Kevin M

    Hopefully a less-verbose post than I’ve had lately.

    As for preferential treatment: moving the non-English speakers in a separate line not only helps THEM get through quicker, it helps everyone else move faster as well, because they don’t constantly have to stop every line to find a Spanish-speaking agent to help. Likewise, if families with carseats, etc. get their own line, that line can have extra staffing so that they can move family groups through together, checking the extra “stuff” that flying with kids entails, etc.

    Justin: Close but not quite. Creole has a couple of meanings even in Louisiana, but the French-speaking Creoles are essentially a thing of the past. Creole here historically meant Louisiana-born but of European ancestry (usually, majority French mixed with something else). Those people were largely assimilated by the early 20th century. Today it usually means light-skinned person of mixed black/white ancestry (at least, mixed at some point in the past), often descended from the free people of color of New Orleans. The French-speakers you describe are the Cajuns or Acadians, who settled in Louisiana away from New Orleans and the Creoles, to the south and southwest.

    Mort – the problem with green flags is identity theft. Let’s say you’re a 40-year old frequent business traveler, Skymiles member for 15 years, all that good stuff- your name and such are cleared for minimal scrutiny. What’s to stop a terrorist group from hacking into a Delta database, pulling your identifying information from it, and creating fake IDs with your information but with a terrorist’s picture on it? He gets through the the minimal scrutiny line because nobody notices he looks more like 25 than 40.

  • william2009

    @Justin-

    As was pointed out the focus of profiling in Israel is based off of behavioral patterns, not ethnicity. It is a system that does work, but it requires sufficient training. In fact when flying on El Al you usually have to report a minimum of three hours before your flight.

    Psychological or Behavioral Profiling is actually fairly effective (note I don’t say completely) Racial profiling is another matter. Althought the latter could be partially effective, it is also the easiest to avoid in regards to terrorist activity; after all people have already pointed out Reid, Nichols, etc. Furthermore racial profiling has an extreme chance of being abused.

  • http://prometheefeu.blogspot.com PrometheeFeu

    My experience with extra-screening, (I dunno how I made it on that list though it may have to do with one-way flights paid in cash by someone half-way accross the world, thanks dad!) is that I am the only white guy in the line. Now maybe this is a coincidence (just like the TSA told me over and over that I was randomly selected… every single time I flew!) but I think there might already be some profiling occuring.

  • Connie

    I’m with Mort! Let’s leave out toddlers and little white haired grandmas in wheelchairs, too! Are we nuts, or what?!? In our efforts to be totally PC, we have virtually profiled, penalized, hassled and delayed EVERYONE. I think we should also have our own security people screening passengers at their point of origin. Even the Netherlands couldn’t do the job – let alone some third world countries! What are these Homeland Security people thinking?

  • http://trips.wrightholdings.com Brad Wright

    In general I’m against profiling. I have a very very strong feeling about the “profiling” insurance companies do by basing your rate on your credit score/history – to me that is abusive profiling! However I do have to say what the Israeli’s do WORKS. I’ve been there three times and their profiling isn’t based on race, or at least not alone. I had a work mate of mine, a middle aged overweight white female, get pulled aside for a 2hr interview….. make of that what you want.

  • Jen

    My only problem with additional lines for “special” people (like the family lines) is that they’re not always practical. When I was at MCO in Orlando last month, the family line was completely empty, we were packed like sardines in the other lines, and there were families with little kids among us! If they’re going to have an extra line just for group xyz, then they should actually use it properly. It was so frustrating seeing a single line right next to me, but I couldn’t go to it because I was a single passenger.

  • Jose

    Racial profiling has been shown over and over again to give a false sense of security when dealing with terrorist.

    The Israeli system works so well, not because they use racial profiling, they train all their personnel in the fine art of reading body language.

    If you truly want to set up and effective security screen process then you have to train security personnel to look for signs in people mannerisms. Trust me having people trained to read people’s body language is a great tool to stopping and deterring terrorism.

    Now, the questions that must be asked. Is the U.S. ready to make a dramatic shift in thinking on how to deal with security at airports? Is the TSA ready to embrace and idea that they might not have a lot of knowledge about?

  • Scott Jones

    What is El Al’s record for trouble on flights originated from Israel and screened by El Al security? Have they had any major or even minor incidents? Let’s get serious and use the psych profiling techniques they employ, instead of spending all the bucks on expensive machines that are mothballed after a few months use.

  • Ames

    While we might like to use English only in the US, please consider the courtesy of allowing for other languages. I have found that absolutely every where I have traveled in the world, someone has spoken English to me. Perhaps because my attempts at their languages were so dreadful, perhaps because they wanted to use their English, but nevertheless, other people graciously accomodated me. We can at least try similar courtesy if we want to be part of a Global Community. BTW, I can read three languages, but I don’t get a lot of practice at pronounciation.

  • Shari

    @ Liz and Dan Webb – English is the lingua franca right now, like it or not. It’s the international business language, and it has, in most circles, taken over as the diplomatic language. Were one flying through Europe or Asia, would they have to learn the native language there to fly? No, of course not. But conversely, English is usually one of the languages the airport and security screening staff are taught to speak. Travel through Tokyo, Seoul, Frankfurt… the signs there include English, the people at the counter speak English, the security staff will speak English. I’m not saying that signs and such shouldn’t be multilingual, nor am I saying that there shouldn’t be staff on hand to help those who don’t speak English. But I disagree with a separate line for one sole language. I sure don’t remember seeing an English-speaking line when I was in Tokyo…

    @ Kevin – “Also, fully 20% or more of expats here from the USA do not speak Spanish. It is sort of emabrassing from time to time I have to explain that the USA is a do as a I, not as I do country in that regards.” I wonder what percentage of the expat Latinos who live (permanently!) in America don’t speak English? How many are happy with the status quo, instead insisting that companies learn their language? The very same thing you want to slam America for happens with groups from other countries here, too. This isn’t an “American” thing.

    @ Justin – “Might I state, our fellow countrymen seem to be reactionary idiots at this point in time? ” I couldn’t agree more. It’s all gut reaction, no thinking. Here, take whatever measures you need to make me feel safe. No, I won’t miss those liberties later… (insert eye rolling)

    I was watching the news last night, and they had a story about and 8 year old whose name is the same as someone else’s on the watch list. So every time he flies – since he was 2! – he gets pulled aside, and has to go through extra security. The poor tyke was saying how much he hated having a strager’s hands all over him. A little thought people! Is there anyone there at the TSA who actually is thinking about security? Or are they flailing about, doing what sounds good in press releases, and otherwise being ineffective?

  • Jasper

    The terrorists are winning. For terrorists, killing is not a primary objective. Terrorizing is. As long as that fear influences our behavior, they win. The existance of the TSA is a victory for terrorists.

    Some dudes in the UK plan to do something with chemicals. They get caught before reaching the airport. What is our reaction? Happiness because the security system worked? No. Our reaction is to ban drinks.

    Some dumbass puts a few wires in his shoes and fails to ignite. Get caught and sent to jail for a long long long time. What is our reaction? Happiness because the security system worked? No. Our reaction is to take our shoes of before we fly.

    Some dude straps a tiny explosive to his leg. Gets caught, nobody dies.What is our reaction? Happiness because the security system worked? No. More panic and blaming.

    In comparison, 19 of the 9/11 high jackers had VA drivers licenses. They did not get caught. Did anything change for VA drivers licenses? No.

    This is insane folks. We are letting these bastards win.

  • http://www.nslphotographyblog.com Ned S. Levi

    ¿Se habla Español?

    In places like Miami, and other cities with significant Hispanic flying populations, it makes perfect sense to have a Spanish speaking line in my opinion, although as y_p_w mentioned, at TSA in Miami every line has Spanish speaking agents. By having a line with Spanish speaking agents, TSA is improving their throughput for everyone.

    As for profiling, as previously mentioned by Kevin, El Al uses a system of “Psychological Profiling,” not racial, ethnic, or religious profiling. In fact, if you talk with them you quickly find out that race, ethnicity, and religion are irrelevant to them. If it wasn’t, they would have missed people they have not permitted to fly El Al such as the Irish woman a while back who had no idea her fiancée was a terrorist. He packed her bag and put a bomb in it. She had no idea about it.

    Dividing people by language, ethnicity, skin color, etc. is not what the Israelis and El Al do.

    I continue to be a strong advocate of “Psychological Profiling” and believe that TSA should institute it immediately. Of course, they’d have to substantially upgrade their agents to do it.

  • Ian

    I think this is an excellent idea from a communications standpoint. Considering the number of Spanish speakers in the US, I think there’s a limited argument for ‘slippery slope’- I don’t think having a Habla espanol line means we’re also going to have to introduce Sprachen Deutsch. One of the most hideous parts of the TSA experience for me has been watching, usually elderly, passengers who don’t speak English enduring the whole if-they-don’t-understand-I’ll-yell approach by the TSA (this used to be a regular occurence at Dulles but, in their defence, this has been improved recently). The experience is stressful enough, so I think any attempt to communicate in the passenger’s language is a plus.

    Also, sure the line is possibly quicker. The quickest passage I’ve ever had through Newark was when I received the usually dreaded SSSS on my boarding card. I was through that sucker in less than five minutes. Pressing the ‘spanish’ option on automated phone lines is also quicker.

    Profiling (which already happens- Yemeni passports have automatically generated the SSSS for years) is such a can of worms I just don’t trust the TSA to pull it off with the required diplomacy and expertise. Wasn’t fingerprinting and photographing every foreigner coming into the country supposed to stop this sort of thing? The entrance and general airport experience into the US is infamous worldwide. Some language skills training may help ease it a little- I’ve posted before about my experience soon after Christmas in Paris where the rent-a-guards handled the process with so much more multi-lingual courtesy than I’ve ever experienced in the US.

  • Ian

    Oh, and is it that much of an effort to have at every international airport TSA checkpoint, a laminated sheet which details the 3oz rule, and removal of coats and so on in a dozen or so common world languages (Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Arabic, Mandarin Chinese, Japanese, Korean to get started), with clear diagrams? If an agent is having problems communicating with a passenger, they simply pull them aside (to keep the line moving), and hand them the card. The card could even be kept at the first checkpoint where the man flicks the UV light over your ID.

  • Abhi

    I don’t think this should be taken too seriously about profiling. It’s TSA’s job to keep people safe and I would choose safety over profiling. Now to give you all a little background, I am a tanned skin person with a goatee, which puts me close enough to middle eastern look. I travel often on domestic and international flights for business and personal reasons.

    I did a statistical review of my own experience and over past 5 years, I have been subjected to some form of secondary screening for 95 times out of 126 (that’s about 75%). I have become quite used to it and keep that extra time to get through before the flight, after making a few successful athletic efforts to reach the gate from the security check point. In the beginning it was a bit frustrating to see all the other folks would just pick up their things from the trays and I would be sitting on a chair past the security arch. Eventually I realized the choices I had and the necessity of the process to ignore that feeling. If screening me for 20 minutes is going to help them keep the flights safe, I am sure I can spare that extra time to the flying community so we all can get to our preferred destinations. Does it feel bad at first to be profiled? Oh yes. Would it feel worse if I actually find a terrorist on my flight? Definitely. I made my choice until TSA comes up with a better solution. We all get discriminated for some or the other thing, sometimes passively, sometimes a bit less passively in our daily lives. I wouldn’t take things too seriously unless I am really losing something more important than 20 minutes before my flight.

  • http://ontariotravelbureau.com Laurie van Esschoten

    If you don’t think the TSA is watching for illegal aliens flying, think again. I had a client stopped by TSA in late December on a flight from Ontario, California to Dayton, Ohio. They wouldn’t let him on without a passport! This on a fully domestic ticket. He had a Matricula card (picture I.D. issued by the Mexican Consulate), but TSA wouldn’t let him pass through security. To top it off, Delta then wanted to charge him $150.00 to change his schedule. It took us three days to get them to waive that, and he had to get a passport from the Mexican Consulate before he could fly — ON A DOMESTIC TRIP. It seems the right hand doesn’t know what the left hand is doing.

  • Justin

    @Mort B

    Mort, Profiling simply is a failed tactic of last resort. It’s like the suggestion that “Joe” stated. Why don’t we have them check a “Muslim” box so that they can be profiled. Do you REALLY THINK that these people are COMPLETE IDIOTS. All you have to do is start profiling them on one characteristic and they will switch to another. Let me say for instance. I don’t know whether you are white or black, or your age. Let me assume you are a White Male, Age 40, and wears glasses. Now every time you go to the airport, you see white males, age 40, AND wearing glasses get set aside for extra screening. Don’t you think after the second or third time of seeing this one, you’d take them off to alleviate that “extra measure”. It’s not like these people can’t “Dress Western”. Not to mention, name means nothing.

    Jose Padilla was Spanish
    Richard Reid – White + Jamaican.. Not an atypical name.
    Nigerian Bomber – Black + African Name..

    So Profiling on Attire and name won’t work. So then what Mort?
    Everyone seems to assume these people are idiots who can’t adapt and notice things around them. On the contrary, they are far from it. We see how sophisticated they have become and the tactics they utilize.

    So what would work? I am CERTAINLY not for strip searching electronically. However:

    Use of Bomb Sniffing Dogs

    Use of Machinery to Detect Explosives. As people walk through the Metal Detector Machines, they could be scanned for this one. Otherwise, a secondary device could be installed we all step through.

    Increased training to check luggage and other personal items and be consistent.

    So on and so forth. However, playing the blame and hysteria game seems to be the only tactic they are good at. I am not saying we don’t need security. I am ALL FOR REASONABLE CHECKS at airports. Still, at the end of the day, you’ve got far more chances of walking to the cab and being shot, than your plane not landing safely.

  • Justin

    @ Kevin,

    Sorry. Cajun. Either way, there are several million French speaking Cajuns and Arcadian. Also, there are still french speaking Creole I imagine too. Either way, Louisiana has a rather large concentration of people who originated here before the “United States” was a country.

  • Justin

    @william2009

    Behavioral profiling is a different tactic that is functions different than race, ethnicity, etc. That, if used proper might be semi effective. If someone comes in looking very nervous, give them an extra pass. Still, what’s to stop the terrorists from training their guys to be calm and cool under pressure. If said individual walks up smiling, friendly, and chatty, then you now have lost your edge. He or she fits the “Happy” and “Well adjusted” traveler profile.

  • Carver

    Profiling, when done correctly works. But as any law enforcement agent will tell you, profiling needs to be farmore sohpisticated that merely one’s race of religion. Profiling must be based upon a number of factors.

    Its also a huge mistake to exclude a group of peoplle from potential screening. That’s just an invitation to the terrorist to recruit from that group.

    As previously stated, it would be silly to select peoplep based solely on the last name. Richard Reid, Tim McVeigh, John Walker Lind, etc. That just plays more into our own lack of understanding than anything else.

  • y_p_w

    Someone asked about security checks at rail or bus stations. I recall a Sikh man who was arrested because he carried a large “kirpan” (a ceremonial dagger) on an Amtrak train. There was no screening before he got on the train.

    I have been through rail and bus stations outside of the United States. I do recall walking through metal detectors and having my luggage scanned by x-ray machines.

  • Joe Reynolds

    Why can’t I get profiled now. Let them do a complete background check on me and then send me a card that states that I have hada complete and extensive background check. It should take the pressure off the TSA agents checking me. I still would have to send my stuff through security, but I should be a low security risk.

  • contessa

    I’d rather be safe (profiled) than sorry!! It’s only a matter of seconds/minutes to check everyone. Just do it and be done with it!! (applause). No biggie…..UNLESS………( fill in the blanks ;-)

    Contessa

  • David Z

    I continue to be a strong advocate of “Psychological Profiling” and believe that TSA should institute it immediately. Of course, they’d have to substantially upgrade their agents to do it.

    Now if only a budget was approved for it. :)

  • Justin

    @ Joe,

    Just because they were to check you “Now” doesn’t mean in the future or any time after you are “cleared” your motives do not change. So, being background checked and exempting people would also be a false fail safe. Not only would that exclude large numbers of people from being screened heavily, it would also open the door to multiple vulnerabilities. What would stop someone from corrupting an individual who had a “clean” background from going about the same deadly activities?

  • Cassivella

    @Joe – the “pre-profiling” thing was called CLEAR. It went bankrupt about 6 months ago. Not enough business…

    The TSA is doing some behavioural profiling. For example, I was profiled on a flight from Vegas to Sacramento. I had a one-way ticket due to some triangular trip planning. And, since I had a layover in Vegas, I made use of the airport lockers and stowed my carryons and went to the strip for a couple of hours. When I came back through security, I got SSSSed because of the one-way ticket plus no baggage. And I’m a 30 something white female (go ahead “Richard Reid” and Timothy McVey people – find an example of a 30 something, white, female suicide bomber).

    But, like someone mentioned before, it was the shortest security experience I’ve ever had – no waiting in line. And I got to try out the brand-new puffer machines! Ooo Ah.

  • Sandra Sheldon

    Out of every 10 times I have flown since 911, seven of those times I have had a secondary screening where my bags and sometimes my shoes were checked. I am a 50+, white, grandmother from California. In Dulles Airport there 5 women (all middle aged and white) one for each security line, all in a row having a secondary screening on their bags and their shoes checked for explosive residue. Of course nothing was found on any of us and four years later, I have yet to figure out when chubby, middle aged, white women became a threat to the United States.

  • MeanMeosh

    Abhi – I think your example shows the problem with our current system of profiling, though. If you’ve flown 126 times over the past 5 years, you clearly pose about as much threat to airline security as my cat (if anything, I’d say my cat poses more of a threat based on its ability to scratch and bite). There’s no telling why you’re always getting tagged, but it’s safe to say, the system that keeps picking you out is picking the wrong guy. You get harassed while Richard Reid and Abdulmutallab get through without a second glance. Why should you have to put up with wasting your time based on a flawed profiling system (though kudos to you for being such a good sport about it)?

    We need to design a better system, but I don’t have much faith in the TSA to be able to come up with and implement one.

  • Justin

    @ Everyone…

    As I said before….

    Why isn’t the TSA using:

    A) Bomb Sniffing Dogs
    B) Explosive detecting devices as people walk through security.

    http://science.howstuffworks.com/detecting-liquid-explosives.htm

    C) A well Trained staff.

    What is NOT ACCEPTABLE:

    Full Body strip search scans that are INVASIVE to privacy. I would personally refuse and ask for a secondary scan. I don’t give a rats ass that I am white and do not fit the profile. I think that ANYONE dumb enough to trade their civil liberties for such a devise has shut off their common sense.

    As Ive said time and time again. Nothing is a substitute for a properly trained staff and the likelihood of dying in an attack is about 50x less than that of being murdered.. Gee…

  • Justin

    @Laurie van Esschoten

    I am sorry your client had to visit Dayton….I really truly am. He had to stay there three days also? He should get a metal. I am born and raised there (moved 1.5 years back), and unfortunately, Dayton falls into one of those EXTREMELY economically depressed areas. If you want to see what these stupid bank executives and mismanagement of car companies have done to America… Dayton, Detroit, and anything Midwest will open your eyes. Anyway, I am glad he got it worked out. Once again, I am so very sorry. At least the airport is semi decent and the 2 cities directly surrounding it. “Day” is actually in Vandalia, Ohio and not Dayton….Dayton itself….Well I’ll leave it at that!

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