Even then: maybe.

I once met somebody who works in high-level security (head of state level) and often stands on the side of a car containing his protectee and observes the crowd. He claims there were exactly two times he saw somebody that looked suspicious, tackled the guy, and it turned out that both were out to attack his protectee. I have no way of verifying his story, but he sounde otherwise credible. But he was in special forces (not US) for over a decade and later had several years of training specifically in detecting threats.

Interesting and plausible to me at least. It certainly must go deeper than to look for the people carrying cupcakes.

Travis Bickle, that you ?

Yes there are people adept at picking 'suspects' out of a crowd, but I doubt any work for the TSA. It's something that comes with training, experience and above all aptitude; I don't believe it can be taught and be immediately effective.

Gosh darn, does that mean it might take more than a week to learn "facial micro-expressions"?

Because those people go on to make a lot of money in private security, they don't make the tiny pay band E salary of a TSA clerk.

A decade or so ago, I was, for reasons not important, studying body language. During this time I had reason to be in New Orleans and decided to see if I could put any of this 'stuff' to good use. Headed down to Bourbon Str and tried to spot pickpockets... They stand out like a sore thumb if you know what to look for.

Hint... Everyone in a crowd will be watching the Busker... The pick pocket is looking at the people in the crowd and more specifically - purses. Not exactly rocket science.

That said? That's a very specific behavior and will not work for smelling out a almost non-existent number of terrorists in a huge nationwide crowd of stressed, rushed, confused, jet lagged, annoyed, frustrated, ill, perspiring, worried, PRE-occupied people that make up the crowds of people at any airport in the world.

Especially by people who have trouble remembering that a NEXUS card is valid ID

I would not hire a TSO alumni to sort eggs.

I hear this technique works well for spotting TSA employees too. Or alternatively you could just look for the guy with the iPad shoved down his pants. :)

Don't be ridiculous. All TSA'ers are made to watch Lie to Me, and are therefore expert in the art of microexpression detection. ;) :D

Hey! Proud alum here! :D

Trust me, they would never make it there... ;)

No, the point of asking the questions isn't "macroexpressions", the purpose is so that TSA can have someone to bully when 1 person out of 20 argues back.

TSA can then claim these people were "suspicious" and thereby justify their own existence. There are only so many lanes in the security line and you can't keep expanding the workforce without increasing the workload.

And I'm only half joking here... :)

And that would be me! ^^^

Bruce

And me.^

LGA Delta Terminal D
 

Today at 1:00 p.m., the pleasant TDC was asking departing passengers to say their names. I played hard of hearing (which is actually true, but I did hear him), and he said, "Mr. Schobel, is that your name?" I nodded and went on to the x-ray machine. The name game is spreading, apparently. What idiocy.

Bruce

It's another layer, of course.

Layer of what, is the question.