Orlando Behavior Detection Officers ID Suspicious Passenger
News & Happenings
April 3, 2008
It's Tuesday afternoon around lunch time at the Orlando International Airport. Just another beautiful Spring day in Central Florida, gentle breeze, temperatures in the 70s, hundreds of passengers pouring into the airport...including a Jamaican named Kevin Brown. TSA Behavior Detection Program Manager and former Border Patrol officer Cleveland Laycock was also in the area working and Brown's behavior immediately aroused the manager's suspicion. After observing the passenger for a matter of seconds, Laycock called for Behavior Detection Officer Jose Zengotita, a 20-year veteran of the NYPD, to continue watching Brown well in front of the ticket counter and hundreds of yards from the nearest security checkpoint
Zengotita continued to observe Brown walking around the Air Jamaica ticket counter area, still displaying very suspicious behavior. After an extended period of time, Brown checked his luggage and turned over his baggage to TSA officers for electronic inspection. Working with his fellow TSA officers, Zengotita did a quick search of the passenger's checked bag and knew they were onto something important. The security officers on the scene called for the TSA bomb appraisal officer, David Platt to further investigate the contents of the bag.
At the same time, Zengotita continued his observations of Brown as he left the ticketing area and proceeded into the main terminal. By now, his observations had led the behavior detection officer to call for Orlando police to further investigate. Police quickly arrived and took Brown into custody.
While police were speaking with Brown, TSA's bomb appraisal officer had determined that the items in Brown's bag; two galvanized pipes, end caps, two small containers containing BBs, batteries, two containers with an unknown liquid, laptop, and bomb making literature were significantly suspicious to request assistance from the Orange County Bomb Squad. The bomb squad arrived quickly and began assessing both the materials in the passenger's checked baggage and passenger himself. After this initial scrutiny of the passenger and his bag, the FBI was requested and has assumed the lead role in this active, criminal investigation.
Brown was arrested by the FBI in connection with United States Code Title 49, Section 46505 – Carrying a weapon or explosive on an aircraft.
Thanks to the quick actions of the Orlando TSA behavior detection team, the Orlando Police Department, the Orange County Bomb Squad and the FBI, this situation had a happy, safe ending; all without closing a single checkpoint or delaying more than Brown's flight.
