The comments on the blog seem to echo our concerns... is this a proposal or will this actually be coming true? I can't imagine all our checkpoints would be suddenly transformed this year.

Also, the mural wall would block the checkpoint from public view, if I read that correctly.

I also hate this statement by Kip:
Smacks totally of thoughtcrime. Whatever happened to innocent until proven guilty?

I feel somewhat sickened. I usually try to support TSA, to see their side, but even this is going a bit too far.

Cee & other TSA'ers here - share your thoughts.

This is, I'm pretty sure, "millimeter x-ray," not "radio waves," as the article says. As someone who has had melanoma I am not, for one second, going to allow myself to be exposed to unnecessary x-ray radiation, nor do I intend to suffer a pat-down every time I fly. I see rough seas ahead. :mad:

Then what's wrong with the X-RAY detectors we have now? I think what we have now works pretty well. Are they saying they won't have any of those X-RAY detectors?

Also, it shouldn't be TSA's responsibility to watch for suspicious behavior. If someone with "bad intentions" or "hostile intent" tries to pull something on a plane, it's pretty much guaranteed that aware passengers plus FAM's will have that passenger on the floor within a few minutes.

I think this is a waste of time and money. Just leave our checkpoints as it is - but educate TSA on how to have better customer service and perhaps give back the ID checking to private contractors or just abolish it altogether.

I don't find it thought crime as much as trying to catch something in the planning/intel gathering phase.

These people don't wake up one day and decide to hijack a plane. They plan it out in detail, up to and including lots of probing and dry runs. That's the place to catch the plot, not day of.

This story makes my skin crawl...like thinking of the neighborhood pedophile who goes all out decorating for Halloween to attract more kids to his house....

The false positive rate for inspections and "catches" is completely unacceptable.

Discovery of such improbable "plots" should be 100% transparent to regular passengers. We should not be caught up in these incompetently executed inspections. :mad:

Smacks to me of even more rifling of wallets as well as reading documents brought through checkpoints.

It sounds as if Kippie and Skeletor are trying to get as many offensive policies in place before they leave as they possible can.

http://www.tsa.gov/evolution/innovation.shtm

The new uniform is cool looking. Now all they have to do is give then guns.

Absolutely, but that's not what the Kipper is on about. He thinks his highly trained SPOTniks/beadyos and loupeys are going to make the Big Catch in the airport. viz:All they will do is "catch" more illegal immigrants, college kids and other forgers. Security, my @ss !

I want someone to do this. I'm not convincing TSOs are the best candidates, but I don't see anyone else lining up for the job.

What exactly is it that you want people to do?

There are no x-ray detectors for people - just a metal detector, which is not the best way of detecting the presence of, or true shape of many items. X-ray devices are used to scan carry-on and checked bags, but again, it's not the best technology - CT/MRI is better, and is s-l-o-w-l-y being tested.

Behavior detection.

They are not doing behavior detection - they are combining a short intro class with guessing, silly questions and prejudice.

We need to get the rest of their house in order before we start looking at fancy extras - the meat and potatoes need to be fixed, like better checked and carry-on baggage scanning with on-the-fly liquid scanning, non-invasive full body scanning with chemical trace analysis, cargo screening, proper staffing levels, and a better attitude.

Get the A, B, Cs fixed before you start looking for X,Y,Zs to play with.

The x-ray detectors they have now are aimed at carry-ons, not passengers. I'd expect that they would continue to use them.

TSA should, like virtually every other security service in the world, be focused on detecting bad actors, rather than bad possessions.

TSA accomplishes nothing -- it is security theater for the Kettles and Gomers who are nervous about flying.