Can Robots Better Spot Terrorists at Airports?
Jan 4, 2014, 8:31 am
#16
Join Date: Nov 2008
Posts: 3,657
I would venture that probably 70% of our daily challenges would be gone if we simply maintain professionalism, courtesy and awareness of our surroundings - it generates more effective communication, more positive interactions with the passengers and resolves many challenges before they happen.
I fear that it would be easier to program "robots" (or whatever other automated systems are contemplated) to be professional and courteous than to train all of TSA to exhibit those same characteristics. I desperately hope that I am wrong, but the oft-cited evidence here would testify otherwise.
Jan 4, 2014, 8:53 am
#17
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Greensboro
Programs: TSA
Posts: 2,424
Sure. And what reasons are there to be nervous in an airport?
For all but the most seasoned traveler, it's an unfamiliar place. The screening process --- a process which the traveler has virtually no control over --- must be completed by a fixed time in order for the passenger to board his/her flight; there's no way for a passenger to know if the screening process will conclude in a timely fashion. Screeners wear uniforms that are intentionally designed to reinforce the authority of the screener over the passenger. If you're not a middle-class white male, there are plenty of media reports of folks just like you who are inappropriately harassed for Flying While Black/Brown/Female/Disabled, leading you to wonder if you'll be the next victim.
And I haven't even mentioned fear of flying.
Yes, perhaps BDOs et. al. can be trained to eliminate those forms of nervousness and focus only on malicious intent. But the statistics posted above regarding "stop-and-frisk" would indicate otherwise --- and those are for fully-trained police officers, who receive far more extensive training than most TSOs, I expect.
This would require a fundamental change in TSA philosophy: viewing the person being screened as a client to be served, not a potential enemy to be detected. I acknowledge that you seem to believe in this. TSA official pronouncements aside, the vast majority of front-line screeners don't seem to share your philosophy. And TSA suffers as a result, both in reputation and in its ability to perform its duties.
Regrettably, most TSOs don't seem to have figured that out.
For all but the most seasoned traveler, it's an unfamiliar place. The screening process --- a process which the traveler has virtually no control over --- must be completed by a fixed time in order for the passenger to board his/her flight; there's no way for a passenger to know if the screening process will conclude in a timely fashion. Screeners wear uniforms that are intentionally designed to reinforce the authority of the screener over the passenger. If you're not a middle-class white male, there are plenty of media reports of folks just like you who are inappropriately harassed for Flying While Black/Brown/Female/Disabled, leading you to wonder if you'll be the next victim.
And I haven't even mentioned fear of flying.
Yes, perhaps BDOs et. al. can be trained to eliminate those forms of nervousness and focus only on malicious intent. But the statistics posted above regarding "stop-and-frisk" would indicate otherwise --- and those are for fully-trained police officers, who receive far more extensive training than most TSOs, I expect.
This would require a fundamental change in TSA philosophy: viewing the person being screened as a client to be served, not a potential enemy to be detected. I acknowledge that you seem to believe in this. TSA official pronouncements aside, the vast majority of front-line screeners don't seem to share your philosophy. And TSA suffers as a result, both in reputation and in its ability to perform its duties.
Regrettably, most TSOs don't seem to have figured that out.
There should be a fundamental shift in how TSOs interact with passengers (of course, I have been beating this drum since day one), they should be treated like the people they are at all times, especially when there is a challenging situation presenting itself. The regs and handbooks all say the same things, be professional, be courteous and do the job, there is simply no excuse for not doing it, and those found to be lacking should be held accountable (I have been beating that drum since I got here too).
I wish more of our employees were to develop this type of interaction level, it helps so many people during the process and it calms the entire checkpoint down. No yelling, no snapping, no confrontations and decidedly less confusion, even by infrequent travelers. It is simply a better way to do business. If folks would simply take the time to talk, (more importanly) to listen, and communicate - things flow so much better for all involved.
Jan 4, 2014, 8:56 am
#18
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Greensboro
Programs: TSA
Posts: 2,424
I agree.
I fear that it would be easier to program "robots" (or whatever other automated systems are contemplated) to be professional and courteous than to train all of TSA to exhibit those same characteristics. I desperately hope that I am wrong, but the oft-cited evidence here would testify otherwise.
I fear that it would be easier to program "robots" (or whatever other automated systems are contemplated) to be professional and courteous than to train all of TSA to exhibit those same characteristics. I desperately hope that I am wrong, but the oft-cited evidence here would testify otherwise.
Jan 4, 2014, 9:10 am
#19
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 3,526
Agreed, but therein lies the factor of domain awareness, I am used to seeing nervousness over flying, the process, the people, the kids, the germs... you get the idea. I understand that not everyone in an airport is going to be a happy person fresh off a 3 day bender in Vegas that won $450,000 and just doesn't care what happens in this checkpoint for the most part (yes, I have seen that particular situation before, and he was as laid back as any passenger I have ever seen). The key is to be aware of the norms associated with that area (which ties back into the awareness factor). I would love to be able to weed out anyone that would make a judgement based on preconceived notions, but unfortunately we all do that at least part of the time in our lives. I truly think (and this goes back to my military time as well) that folks that work in an area notice things that are not what they normally expect, and this goes beyond a set of standardized lists or things that are associated with the BDO program - it is a part of our nature. We observe and react to things that are different, by nature we dislike change in generalized terms. We notice when something is different, when the cable company changes where one or two channels are, we notice it. When assigned parking spots are shifted, we notice. All these things that are minute differences in the grand scheme make us pause and observe for at least a second or two. Extrapolate that to the checkpoint setting, and the folks that are in that setting constantly notice little things out of order, and not just the TSOs, the airport employees notice differences too. I personally can do nothing about the perceptions of my passengers except do the job, do it professionally, with courtesy and do my best to help folks get through - that is the biggest impact I can have on passengers perceptions of TSOs in general (of course all it takes to ruin that is one bad apple somewhere else in the process, but that is another discussion).
There should be a fundamental shift in how TSOs interact with passengers (of course, I have been beating this drum since day one), they should be treated like the people they are at all times, especially when there is a challenging situation presenting itself. The regs and handbooks all say the same things, be professional, be courteous and do the job, there is simply no excuse for not doing it, and those found to be lacking should be held accountable (I have been beating that drum since I got here too).
I wish more of our employees were to develop this type of interaction level, it helps so many people during the process and it calms the entire checkpoint down. No yelling, no snapping, no confrontations and decidedly less confusion, even by infrequent travelers. It is simply a better way to do business. If folks would simply take the time to talk, (more importanly) to listen, and communicate - things flow so much better for all involved.
There should be a fundamental shift in how TSOs interact with passengers (of course, I have been beating this drum since day one), they should be treated like the people they are at all times, especially when there is a challenging situation presenting itself. The regs and handbooks all say the same things, be professional, be courteous and do the job, there is simply no excuse for not doing it, and those found to be lacking should be held accountable (I have been beating that drum since I got here too).
I wish more of our employees were to develop this type of interaction level, it helps so many people during the process and it calms the entire checkpoint down. No yelling, no snapping, no confrontations and decidedly less confusion, even by infrequent travelers. It is simply a better way to do business. If folks would simply take the time to talk, (more importanly) to listen, and communicate - things flow so much better for all involved.
Those are the issues that need to be addressed.
To even think that assaulting passengers is o.k., if done politely, is acceptable is beyond the pale.
Jan 4, 2014, 10:32 am
#20
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Can Robots Better Spot Terrorists at Airports?
Neither robots nor humans (including TSA employees) can be "better" at spotting what isn't there! Am I better than anybody on Earth at spotting unicorns? Who knows? None of us has spotted one! And, similarly, evidence suggests that no U.S. airport has seen a terrorist since 9/11/01. So why do we waste so much energy looking for them? Clearly the terrorists have moved on. So should we.
By the way, as I've said many times before, the really scary Chechen terrorists in Russia moved on, too -- from airports to elementary schools! They killed hundreds of young kids at Beslan. How would we react to such an event here in the U.S? We have hundreds of thousands of schools, essentially unprotected (or certainly in comparison to airports, which have become virtual fortresses). Yet those schools hold something that most of us cherish even more than ourselves.
People get annoyed when you try to kill them. But people get enraged when you try to kill their kids. Think about it. If you were a terrorist, would you bother with airports?
Bruce
By the way, as I've said many times before, the really scary Chechen terrorists in Russia moved on, too -- from airports to elementary schools! They killed hundreds of young kids at Beslan. How would we react to such an event here in the U.S? We have hundreds of thousands of schools, essentially unprotected (or certainly in comparison to airports, which have become virtual fortresses). Yet those schools hold something that most of us cherish even more than ourselves.
People get annoyed when you try to kill them. But people get enraged when you try to kill their kids. Think about it. If you were a terrorist, would you bother with airports?
Bruce
Jan 4, 2014, 10:35 am
#21
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Greensboro
Programs: TSA
Posts: 2,424
Your "solutions" do nothing to address the fundamental problem with the TSA: that its SOP for screening is flawed, does nothing to keep anyone safe and probably unconstitutional to boot.
Those are the issues that need to be addressed.
To even think that assaulting passengers is o.k., if done politely, is acceptable is beyond the pale.
Those are the issues that need to be addressed.
To even think that assaulting passengers is o.k., if done politely, is acceptable is beyond the pale.
Jan 4, 2014, 2:22 pm
#22
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How would we react to such an event here in the U.S? We have hundreds of thousands of schools, essentially unprotected (or certainly in comparison to airports, which have become virtual fortresses). Yet those schools hold something that most of us cherish even more than ourselves.
More mission creep; the TSA will keep school busses safe For The Children™
Jan 4, 2014, 6:34 pm
#23
Join Date: Nov 2008
Posts: 3,657
We observe and react to things that are different, by nature we dislike change in generalized terms. We notice when something is different, when the cable company changes where one or two channels are, we notice it. When assigned parking spots are shifted, we notice. All these things that are minute differences in the grand scheme make us pause and observe for at least a second or two. Extrapolate that to the checkpoint setting, and the folks that are in that setting constantly notice little things out of order, and not just the TSOs, the airport employees notice differences too.
For a cop-on-the-beat, or a security guard at a plant, noticing differences is a great skill. You see the same buildings, the same parking spaces, the same people, the same cars all the time; something that's "different" is certainly worthy of a little extra observation.
But what's the "same" at a checkpoint? The number of passengers you see in a day numbers in the, what, thousands? Those passengers are different every day. Maybe at a really small airport you might get to know the frequent flyers well enough to create a sense of "sameness". But a major airport like DTW or DFW or DCA?
So, in that situation ... what's "the same" enough to allow a TSO to identify something that's "different"?
Jan 5, 2014, 9:33 am
#24
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Greensboro
Programs: TSA
Posts: 2,424
But is that really relevant at a checkpoint?
For a cop-on-the-beat, or a security guard at a plant, noticing differences is a great skill. You see the same buildings, the same parking spaces, the same people, the same cars all the time; something that's "different" is certainly worthy of a little extra observation.
But what's the "same" at a checkpoint? The number of passengers you see in a day numbers in the, what, thousands? Those passengers are different every day. Maybe at a really small airport you might get to know the frequent flyers well enough to create a sense of "sameness". But a major airport like DTW or DFW or DCA?
So, in that situation ... what's "the same" enough to allow a TSO to identify something that's "different"?
For a cop-on-the-beat, or a security guard at a plant, noticing differences is a great skill. You see the same buildings, the same parking spaces, the same people, the same cars all the time; something that's "different" is certainly worthy of a little extra observation.
But what's the "same" at a checkpoint? The number of passengers you see in a day numbers in the, what, thousands? Those passengers are different every day. Maybe at a really small airport you might get to know the frequent flyers well enough to create a sense of "sameness". But a major airport like DTW or DFW or DCA?
So, in that situation ... what's "the same" enough to allow a TSO to identify something that's "different"?
I can tell you that I worked at LAX for 30 days as a frontline TSO, and there is a sense of normalcy that you develop after working in an area - Tom Bradley International Terminal was a madhouse of cultures and languages and manic activity - but that is the norm for that region. Something that is far and above that normal pattern (or the opposite, far below) would still stand out to people that are working there, even moreso to the ones with good domain awareness.
In your classes, you would be aware if something were out of sync with what your students were doing, right down to noticing someone that is not on the roster. Doesn't that allow you to bust the one kid texting while everyone else is actively participating in class? This is the same principle, but in a different setting.
Jan 5, 2014, 10:43 am
#25
Join Date: Aug 2012
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Jan 5, 2014, 2:21 pm
#27
Join Date: Nov 2008
Posts: 3,657
In your classes, you would be aware if something were out of sync with what your students were doing, right down to noticing someone that is not on the roster. Doesn't that allow you to bust the one kid texting while everyone else is actively participating in class? This is the same principle, but in a different setting.
In my classes, I see the identical set of students several times a week for three months. In some cases, I see those students in multiple courses over multiple years. I learn what is normal for each individual student, and can more easily notice when something is amiss.
And, if you put together all the students currently on-campus whom I've had in class, you're probably talking about at most a couple of hundred students that I'm currently "observing". You probably see that many people in less than an hour. Your job is considerably more difficult than mine.
I will grant (based on my complete inexperience) that the traveling public may fit into many broad categories that are easily observed. The question then becomes whether the "unusual" passengers that you observe are simply folks who are rare, or folks who are a potential threat. You seem to do a good job of recognizing that there is a difference between those groups. I'm not sure how well the rest of TSA makes that distinction.
Jan 6, 2014, 3:13 am
#28
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Greensboro
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Not really, after a bit you simply pay attention to what is around you as a matter of course. Of course, this does not mean I am all seeing all knowing, simply aware of my surroundings better than average.
Agreed, which is why it is so important to approach things professionally as opposed to gung ho.
I don't know if I have said it here before, but this job is very difficult to do well, and I am constantly reading/rereading and studying to stay sharp at it - all that being said, I doubt that it is that much more difficult than your job, which is pretty much like nailing Jello to a tree... that is floating in a raging river...
The more narrowed confines of the surroundings you deal with would (in terms of sheer numbers and in theory at least) be easier to pick out folks that are not within the norms. You can pick out the extroverts, the brains, the geeks, the jocks that thought this was going to be a simpler class than it actually is - and someone that doesn't fit into the normal mold would pique your interest. Not necessarily in a bad way or wary way, but you would notice them quicker than you would the same basic categories you see every semester.
There are broad categories that travlers fit in, after working in an area for a bit, just like your classroom, there emerges a sense of what passes for norms. Due to the diverse selection of people traversing the area, it can be different from day to day, hour to hour and month to month. Just like in your classes, when someone is so far above/below what passes for a norm in that area, it bears some scrutiny. That does not mean you yank them off the floor and put them in a spotlight and give the the third degree, it means you merely pay some additional attention to them in case something bad is there - this is not even part of the BDO program I am speaking of, merely the human observation factor in a checkpoint setting. We can program computers and write code for years to come and the computers will still not be able to mimic observation capabilities of the majority of people out there, they are coded into our DNA (of course, whether we learn to pay attention to them or not is a different story).
I approach every interaction the same way, friendly, professional and steady, there is no reason to suspect anything of anyone until you have proof they are up to no good. There is also no reason to be anything other than professional and courteous to the people we interact with at work all day, every day. Hopefully I will never have an interaction with someone that has ill intent towards me ot the other people in the are where I am working (because that has a possibility of going very badly for all involved). I wish I could bottle that approach and sell it, it may actually make me a penny or two.
But that actually makes my point better than yours.
In my classes, I see the identical set of students several times a week for three months. In some cases, I see those students in multiple courses over multiple years. I learn what is normal for each individual student, and can more easily notice when something is amiss.
And, if you put together all the students currently on-campus whom I've had in class, you're probably talking about at most a couple of hundred students that I'm currently "observing". You probably see that many people in less than an hour. Your job is considerably more difficult than mine.
I will grant (based on my complete inexperience) that the traveling public may fit into many broad categories that are easily observed. The question then becomes whether the "unusual" passengers that you observe are simply folks who are rare, or folks who are a potential threat. You seem to do a good job of recognizing that there is a difference between those groups. I'm not sure how well the rest of TSA makes that distinction.
In my classes, I see the identical set of students several times a week for three months. In some cases, I see those students in multiple courses over multiple years. I learn what is normal for each individual student, and can more easily notice when something is amiss.
And, if you put together all the students currently on-campus whom I've had in class, you're probably talking about at most a couple of hundred students that I'm currently "observing". You probably see that many people in less than an hour. Your job is considerably more difficult than mine.
I will grant (based on my complete inexperience) that the traveling public may fit into many broad categories that are easily observed. The question then becomes whether the "unusual" passengers that you observe are simply folks who are rare, or folks who are a potential threat. You seem to do a good job of recognizing that there is a difference between those groups. I'm not sure how well the rest of TSA makes that distinction.
The more narrowed confines of the surroundings you deal with would (in terms of sheer numbers and in theory at least) be easier to pick out folks that are not within the norms. You can pick out the extroverts, the brains, the geeks, the jocks that thought this was going to be a simpler class than it actually is - and someone that doesn't fit into the normal mold would pique your interest. Not necessarily in a bad way or wary way, but you would notice them quicker than you would the same basic categories you see every semester.
There are broad categories that travlers fit in, after working in an area for a bit, just like your classroom, there emerges a sense of what passes for norms. Due to the diverse selection of people traversing the area, it can be different from day to day, hour to hour and month to month. Just like in your classes, when someone is so far above/below what passes for a norm in that area, it bears some scrutiny. That does not mean you yank them off the floor and put them in a spotlight and give the the third degree, it means you merely pay some additional attention to them in case something bad is there - this is not even part of the BDO program I am speaking of, merely the human observation factor in a checkpoint setting. We can program computers and write code for years to come and the computers will still not be able to mimic observation capabilities of the majority of people out there, they are coded into our DNA (of course, whether we learn to pay attention to them or not is a different story).
I approach every interaction the same way, friendly, professional and steady, there is no reason to suspect anything of anyone until you have proof they are up to no good. There is also no reason to be anything other than professional and courteous to the people we interact with at work all day, every day. Hopefully I will never have an interaction with someone that has ill intent towards me ot the other people in the are where I am working (because that has a possibility of going very badly for all involved). I wish I could bottle that approach and sell it, it may actually make me a penny or two.
Jan 6, 2014, 5:31 pm
#29
Join Date: Sep 2003
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Not really, after a bit you simply pay attention to what is around you as a matter of course. Of course, this does not mean I am all seeing all knowing, simply aware of my surroundings better than average.
Agreed, which is why it is so important to approach things professionally as opposed to gung ho.
I don't know if I have said it here before, but this job is very difficult to do well, and I am constantly reading/rereading and studying to stay sharp at it - all that being said, I doubt that it is that much more difficult than your job, which is pretty much like nailing Jello to a tree... that is floating in a raging river...
The more narrowed confines of the surroundings you deal with would (in terms of sheer numbers and in theory at least) be easier to pick out folks that are not within the norms. You can pick out the extroverts, the brains, the geeks, the jocks that thought this was going to be a simpler class than it actually is - and someone that doesn't fit into the normal mold would pique your interest. Not necessarily in a bad way or wary way, but you would notice them quicker than you would the same basic categories you see every semester.
There are broad categories that travlers fit in, after working in an area for a bit, just like your classroom, there emerges a sense of what passes for norms. Due to the diverse selection of people traversing the area, it can be different from day to day, hour to hour and month to month. Just like in your classes, when someone is so far above/below what passes for a norm in that area, it bears some scrutiny. That does not mean you yank them off the floor and put them in a spotlight and give the the third degree, it means you merely pay some additional attention to them in case something bad is there - this is not even part of the BDO program I am speaking of, merely the human observation factor in a checkpoint setting. We can program computers and write code for years to come and the computers will still not be able to mimic observation capabilities of the majority of people out there, they are coded into our DNA (of course, whether we learn to pay attention to them or not is a different story).
I approach every interaction the same way, friendly, professional and steady, there is no reason to suspect anything of anyone until you have proof they are up to no good. There is also no reason to be anything other than professional and courteous to the people we interact with at work all day, every day. Hopefully I will never have an interaction with someone that has ill intent towards me ot the other people in the are where I am working (because that has a possibility of going very badly for all involved). I wish I could bottle that approach and sell it, it may actually make me a penny or two.
Agreed, which is why it is so important to approach things professionally as opposed to gung ho.
I don't know if I have said it here before, but this job is very difficult to do well, and I am constantly reading/rereading and studying to stay sharp at it - all that being said, I doubt that it is that much more difficult than your job, which is pretty much like nailing Jello to a tree... that is floating in a raging river...
The more narrowed confines of the surroundings you deal with would (in terms of sheer numbers and in theory at least) be easier to pick out folks that are not within the norms. You can pick out the extroverts, the brains, the geeks, the jocks that thought this was going to be a simpler class than it actually is - and someone that doesn't fit into the normal mold would pique your interest. Not necessarily in a bad way or wary way, but you would notice them quicker than you would the same basic categories you see every semester.
There are broad categories that travlers fit in, after working in an area for a bit, just like your classroom, there emerges a sense of what passes for norms. Due to the diverse selection of people traversing the area, it can be different from day to day, hour to hour and month to month. Just like in your classes, when someone is so far above/below what passes for a norm in that area, it bears some scrutiny. That does not mean you yank them off the floor and put them in a spotlight and give the the third degree, it means you merely pay some additional attention to them in case something bad is there - this is not even part of the BDO program I am speaking of, merely the human observation factor in a checkpoint setting. We can program computers and write code for years to come and the computers will still not be able to mimic observation capabilities of the majority of people out there, they are coded into our DNA (of course, whether we learn to pay attention to them or not is a different story).
I approach every interaction the same way, friendly, professional and steady, there is no reason to suspect anything of anyone until you have proof they are up to no good. There is also no reason to be anything other than professional and courteous to the people we interact with at work all day, every day. Hopefully I will never have an interaction with someone that has ill intent towards me ot the other people in the are where I am working (because that has a possibility of going very badly for all involved). I wish I could bottle that approach and sell it, it may actually make me a penny or two.
Jan 6, 2014, 5:37 pm
#30
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I don't know if I have said it here before, but this job is very difficult to do well, and I am constantly reading/rereading and studying to stay sharp at it - all that being said, I doubt that it is that much more difficult than your job, which is pretty much like nailing Jello to a tree... that is floating in a raging river...