I just came across some interesting reading at the library:

Handbook of Checked Baggage Screening : advanced airport security operation (Neil Shanks, Professional Engineering Press, 2004).

I'm sure that the TSA is convinced that this information is completely secret, but it's actually published in extensive detail. I learned quite a bit about how in-line screening works, how bags are selected, and the statistics that drive how many bags are to be hand-searched.

There is a smaller section about cabin baggage screening and passenger screening. As you might expect, the experts did extol the merits of shoe carnivals or pat-downs.

The book highlighted that there is a huge industry behind baggage imaging technology. This is a complicated and expensive business that extends far beyond a few CTX's in the check-in lobby.

The one section that I found amusing was about interviewing and risk behavior profiling. One of the suggested questions was (I'm not making this up): "Do you think that the September 11th hijackers were any way justified?" That's on par with the US immigration form that asks if you've ever been convicted of war crimes.

P.S. I've probably become terror watch list member 80,001 for checking that book out of the library (or even pulling it off the shelf).