Increasing Airport Security

Many are wondering whether TSA screenings are as effective as they should be in recognizing ever-changing potential security threats.

By Roma Blackham, Marketing —

“Take off your shoes, take out your quart-sized bag of liquids, and get everything out of your pockets.” For anyone who has ever flown, these words are customary. Once your belongings are scanned, you step through the metal detector, and you might even be required to undergo a thorough pat down. These are the familiar steps of the TSA screening procedure. It is a procedure that is meant to reduce security threats in the air. However, after some recent criticism of the TSA’s screening procedures, many are wondering whether these screenings are as effective as they should be in recognizing ever-changing potential security threats.

The Two Screening Methods

The purpose of the TSA screening is to evaluate whether passengers pose a risk to airport security, and now TSA has two methods to screen individuals. One is the traditional screening method—removing shoes, belts, pocket contents, liquids, and laptops from bags for inspection. The new method of screening is with the TSA Pre program that allows passengers who qualify to keep their shoes on, to keep their liquids and laptops in their luggage, and to skip the long lines associated with traditional TSA screening. In order to qualify for this program passengers must register for the TSA Pre program, pass a background check, and pay an $80 fee. While both methods create a basic risk profile for passengers, we may need more than that to prevent new security threats.

What Do We Need?

It has been argued that the TSA Pre screening is more thorough, but it is also more expensive and it still falls short of the ideal screening. Ideally, the TSA would be able to predict those who intend an air terror attack during the screening, but there is only so much that these two screening methods can detect. What we need is something more thorough and more accurate in assessing potential threats.

Tightening Security

Although a background check can identify those who have a history of terrorism or who have terrorist sympathies, it is possible to go one step better. The TSA could use EyeDetect, the world’s next generation lie detector that could easily be used to make TSA screenings more thorough and keep up with the changing potential threats. EyeDetect is an inexpensive and reliable way to detect whether someone is lying, and test proctors can be trained easily and quickly. Additionally, the results of the tests are incorruptible, making it ideal for airport security.

Source
Photo courtesy of Miki Yoshihito.