Will Children be Screened by Whole Body Imagers?

This question keeps popping up on our blog as well as other forums around the internet. Will children be screened by Whole Body Imagers (WBI)?

Yes and no.

Anybody can opt out of WBI screening. Adults, children, Klingons, etc… If you opt out of WBI screening, you will receive a patdown search in lieu of the WBI screening.

Children are allowed to be screened by the WBI if they’re able to stand motionless with their arms outstretched and feet shoulder width apart for 5 seconds. (If your child is like my 4 year old, they can’t stand still for a single second unless they’re watching that yellow sponge guy who shares my name)

Things to remember:

- Children do not have to be screened by the WBI. (Anybody can opt out)
- Parents carrying infants or children will not be screened by the WBI.
- Parents accompanying children may opt out of WBI screening to prevent separation of family.
- WBI screening is still in the pilot phase and has not been deployed at all checkpoints.
- Did I mention you can opt out?

Bob

EoS Blog Team

CNN Article: Airport security bares all, or does it?

CNN has an article in the travel section today on Whole Body Imaging (WBI). Follow the link to read the article along with the many interesting comments.

Airport security bares all, or does it?

Bob

EoS Blog Team

What's in a Name?

Starting May 15, when passengers purchase airline tickets, they will be required to provide their name as it appears on the government-issued ID that they plan to use when traveling. This is the first phase of a new TSA program called “Secure Flight.”

So…if you plan to present a driver’s license , purchase tickets using your name as it appears on your driver’s license. If you plan to present a passport, purchase tickets using the name that appears on your passport. (Here is a list of acceptable forms of identification.)

But rest assured, the system will be pretty flexible. For the near future, small differences between ID and reservation information, such as the use of a middle initial instead of a full middle name or no middle name/initial at all, should not cause a problem for the passenger.

Secure Flight is a multi-phase program developed by DHS that matches passenger information against federal government watch lists for domestic and international flights. Before Secure Flight, airlines themselves were responsible for matching passenger information to the federal watch list. As Secure Flight is implemented, TSA will begin to assume responsibility for the security program.

So what exactly do we mean by “watch list matching”? When you purchase an airline ticket your name will be compared to the “No Fly” and “Selectee” lists, which are distilled from the FBI’s terrorist watch list.

Individuals confirmed to be on the Selectee list, will automatically be subject to secondary screening, but could still be allowed to fly. If an individual is confirmed to be on the “No Fly” list, he or she won’t be able to fly within, into, or over the United States. The number of people that appear on these lists is extremely small, so chances are you won’t run into issues at security checkpoints because your name is on the watch list.

After August 15, domestic airlines will be required to collect (and passengers will be required to provide) date of birth and gender in addition to name (as it appears on the government ID). By providing these pieces of information under the new Secure Flight program, cases of mistaken identity will be virtually eliminated. For passengers who have had problems in the past, this means that you’ll be able to print your boarding pass at home before arriving at the airport. It also means that your 6-year-old won’t be misidentified as someone on the Selectee or No Fly lists.

Blogger Paul

EoS Blog

Shoes on the X-ray belt, or in a bin???

Starting this week, officers will be asking passengers to put their shoes directly on the X-ray belt instead of in a bin at the checkpoint.

This will help to declutter bins and give officers a better view of shoes coming through, as well as everything else. Our officers are seeing some pretty packed bins with shoes, electronics, wallets and other items, and when they can’t get a good look, a cluttered bin is more likely to get pulled aside for additional screening. Nobody likes that.

If you don’t hear the directions or put your shoes in the bin by accident, fear not - you won’t be sent back to the end of the line for a do-over.

Safe travels!

Lynn

EOS Blog Team

TSA Urban Legends (Nail Clippers, Knitting Needles and Corkscrews)

Bigfoot is probably one of the best known urban legends, but nail clippers, knitting needles and corkscrews are probably the most believed.

Some time ago, someone out there spread a nasty rumor about us, that lead many of today's passengers to believe that we don't allow any of those three items. The facts though, contradict the myth.

Knitting needles, carried by grandma, Mrs. Claus or Jeremy down the street are permitted. Plastic, metal, clay, titanium... Whatever... Permitted.

Corkscrews are a little tricky, but also permitted. Let's be clear, corkscrews without knives. We know many corkscrews have the little knife that help cut the metal wrapping on a bottle, those are not allowed, but the little corkscrews with no knife are. Clear? No? Let's try this.

Fancy schmancy corkscrews with knives, no. Cheap corkscrews with no knife, yes.

Lastly, nail clippers. I can't even count the number of times I have heard or seen this... Totally not true. Way back when, 2001, pre-TSA, post 9-11, nail clippers were prohibited, probably an immediate reaction to the events of that day. However, when we came along, we changed the list, allowed nail clippers, but still get accused of being pro-long finger nail. Totally not true.
Trim those nails, in flight if you want, just be sure the passenger sitting next to you doesn't mind a flying hang nail.... Oh yeah, no blades on nail clippers either. Nail files on the other hand are OK.

So to sum up, if you are the kind of person who likes to drink wine, knit and clip your nails, you are free to do all three in flight... So long as you don't have any blades.

Nico

EoS Blog Team

What Does A Terrorist Look Like?

We just received some valuable Intel today… We now know what terrorists look like. BOLOs are being sent internationally as we speak. Terrorists wear colorful oversized clothing and have round red noses. They’ve been known to paint smiles or frowns on their faces and often wear wigs and large honking shoes.

In all seriousness…At airports all over the country, day in and day out, Transportation Security Officers hear over and over: “Do I look like a terrorist? You should be spending your time looking for the real terrorists instead of wasting time on me.”

Which got me thinking - what exactly does a terrorist look like? There’s no manual showing you what terrorists look like. We could put a Magic 8 Ball at each checkpoint lane and shake it every time a passenger comes through asking “Is this person a terrorist?” Some of the answers would really prove troublesome:

*Reply hazy, try again.
*Concentrate and ask again.
*Better not tell you now.
*Cannot predict now.
*Ask again later.

If my Magic 8 Ball idea sounds silly, it is. I used that example, because it would be just as effective as taking somebody’s word who says “I’m not a terrorist.”

In a perfect world, TSO training would include a class on what a terrorist looks like. But the fact is, terrorists look like anybody else coming through the checkpoint. All races, sexes, ages, and sizes… They can be an evil genius or dumb as a rock.

You don’t have to be taller than the sign to be a terrorist. You get the point…

I can’t count how many times I’ve heard somebody say “I don’t pose a threat.” Intelligence has shown that western acting/looking terrorists are being recruited just for that reason.

What I’m trying to say is you know you’re not a terrorist, but we don’t…and we can’t take any chances and just take your word. This is another reason why our Behavior Detection Program is so important. We focus on behaviors to flush out the possible terrorists, not appearance.

Blogger Bob

EoS Blog Team

BWI Checkpoint Rollout Anniversary (And More...)

Did you know this is the 7th anniversary of TSA rolling out the first federalized airport checkpoint? It was at Baltimore Washington International Airport. (BWI)

It’s also the 1st anniversary of the day we launched Evolution at BWI. The nationwide re-training of our frontline officers is just about completed.

To celebrate these milestones in our short but rich history, I figured I’d post a few interesting TSA stories on the blog that I came across recently.

First off, check out this article from Rick Seaney, FareCompare.com CEO, on ABCNews.com: The TSA Nightmare: Airport Security. The headline is a bit misleading - it actually dispels a few common myths about our officers.

Secondly, while scanning the blogosphere as I do every morning, I came across a weekly column from a Transportation Security Officer in the Londonderry Online Hometown News called “Joe’s Two Cents.” His latest article describes a day where his checkpoint screened a group of Wounded Warriors. Check out his touching story: No Big Deal…

I just came across this one a few minutes ago on process improvement at TSA.

I hope you enjoy these links as much as I enjoyed my wife’s PB&J sandwiches she packed in my lunch today. Mmmm…

Blogger Bob

EoS Blog Team

Dishing the Dirt

I’ve been reading some statements around the web about a recent incident at Piedmont Triad Airport (PTI) in North Carolina involving dirt and fossils being mistaken for a possible bomb.

To the flying public, I fully understand that it has to seem ridiculous that dirt and fossils could be mistaken for a bomb. If I didn’t know anything about how x-ray images looked or what TSA was looking for, I’d probably be on the “you guys actually thought that was a bomb?” bandwagon.

I’m going to try to make this as simple as I can, saying what I am able to say.

1) Images of items on the x-ray monitor often look nothing like they normally do to the naked eye.

2)Dirt and fossils as well as many other normal day to day items can resemble what our officers are trained to look for on the x-ray monitor.

3) Bags often contain electronics and wires that overlap these items making them look even more suspicious.

As a former TSO I can think of a couple of times where by chance, everyday normal harmless items were laid out in a bag in such a way to look exactly like a textbook improvised explosive device. (IED)

In this particular case, a Bomb Appraisal Officer (BAO) was summoned and they eventually determined there was no threat. When you think there might be an explosive in a bag, you don’t just whip it out of the x-ray tunnel and dive into it. There are procedures that must be followed for the well-being of everybody involved. Of course, once the bag was opened, it was obvious what the items were and that they did not pose a threat.

I hope this clears things up a little bit in regards to items being mistaken for IEDs.

Thanks,

Blogger Bob

EoS Blog Team

See SPO. See SPO Screen. Screen, SPO, Screen!

Keeping the flying public safe from curbside to cockpit is a major part of TSA’s mission. This post will hopefully provide some more insight about what’s going on before you even reach the security checkpoint.

Concerns about public areas in airports have been brought up time and again by security wonks and commenters on this and other blogs—and we’ve been listening.

Surveillance of non-sterile areas in airports is a no-brainer when it comes to mitigating risk in an efficient manner. There’s really no way to get around that. For a while now, several different TSA programs have been in place to satisfy this security need—and thus far, Behavior Detection has been getting most of the attention. However, Passive MMW, a.k.a SPO-7, might just steal the spotlight.

Since April 21, TSA has been testing and evaluating two tripod-mounted, highly mobile SPO-7 units at Boston’s Logan International (BOS). You may recall Blogger Bob’s post about Passive MMW back in September ’08; however, a few things have happened since then. Just as a quick recap, Passive MMW has been used in mass transit and maritime environments since 2007. In 2008, TSA tested the technology in non-sterile areas of Denver International and Minneapolis/St. Paul International during the 2008 Democratic and Republican national conventions.

The name “Passive MMW” may imply that this technology operates in the exact same way as the stationary Whole Body MMW machines at the checkpoint. This is definitely not the case. Both technologies are non-invasive and completely safe, but other than that, the only similarity is that both systems make use of millimeter waves in one way or another. To be clear, Whole Body MMW machines bounce harmless millimeter waves off of your body to generate a metallic image. Passive MMW on the other hand receives energy generated by an individual and the objects that they are carrying on their person. This energy can be detected by an appropriate receiver and can be used to detect anomalies.

Here’s an example of the image an operator would see:

As you can see, it looks a lot different than the robotic images generated by stationary MMW machines at the checkpoint. For this reason, Passive MMW machines and their operators will be in full view of the public in the non-sterile areas of BOS.

Security officers operating the Passive MMW will work closely with Behavior Detection Officers on the floor. If either group detects a potential threat, they will alert their counterparts. From there a variety of scenarios can occur, up to and including calling local law enforcement.

Signs will be placed in the vicinity of the screening area to make sure everyone is relatively well informed about Passive MMW:

So…Passive MMW…awesome idea right? Let us know what you think.

Blogger Paul

EoS Blog Team

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*Edit: The second sign was changed from "WARNING" to "ALERT"

Missing Crematory Remains

Many stories are circulating that TSA lost crematory remains that were checked as baggage at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. After working with the airline, TSA was able to determine the bags belonging to the passenger in question were never handled or opened by TSA officers. The bags were screened by our automated inline baggage system and sent directly to the airline. Each bag has an ID number and the computer logs every bag that alarms and is sent to the resolution room for secondary screening. The bags in question did not alarm and therefore went directly to the airline..

To date, the family has not contacted TSA.TSA has made attempts to contact the family and will continue to try to do so. TSA regrets the family has to deal with this during their time of mourning.

The guidelines for traveling with crematory remains are correct and up to date on TSA.gov.

Bob

Eos Blog Team