On a recent Tonight Show, irreverent comedian Wanda Sikes likened going through airport security to being thrown in jail: "Empty your pockets; take off your shoes; arms straight out at your sides" for the pat down. What makes security guards single out one individual over another for special attention? Experts warn, "Don't let you see them sweat."
In a two-year-old federal program, airport security screeners across the country are being trained as behavior-detention officers. Similar to police profiling, the program is dubbed SPOT for Screening Passengers by Observation Techniques. The program is already in place in 80 U.S. airports.
Screeners scrutinize facial expressions, gestures and speech patterns watching for clues to hostile intent. "We observe any kinds of behaviors that are out of the ordinary, said screener Michelle Boldt at Port Columbus in Ohio. "Somebody who is a terrorist or somebody who is trying to get through with criminal activity is going to display many more behaviors, not even knowing about it."
People displaying unusual behaviors are pulled from checkpoint lines for questioning, pat-down searches, wanding and vigorous luggage inspections. The SPOT program is based on research of Paul Ekman, professor emeritus of psychology at the University of California at San Francisco. The creator of the Facial Action Coding System, Ekman developed "a catalog of every conceivable facial expression." He now works with the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to implement SPOT.
Screeners watch for telltale signs of nervousness and hostility, including lip licking, preoccupation, compulsive blinking, vigorous movement of a man's Adam's apple, gaze direction, posture, clothing, who you talk to and who you don't talk to, agitation and sweat. Of course, these behaviors are common to your typical nervous flyer which can lead to errors. Even so, TSA credits SPOT with 700 airport arrests for everything from drug possession to illegal entry.
The obvious problem is that ordinary nervousness can be mistaken for suspicious behavior. Terrorist threats are illegal in California and carry significant penalties for those convicted. If you are accused of a terrorist threat, the normal checks and balances of the American justice system may not apply. To prevent unjust conviction, consult an experienced criminal defense attorney immediately if you are accused of terrorist activity by an airport screener.
-LegalPro
