Following the Israeli Plan

When in Rome, do as the Romans. But to tighten up security at U.S. airports it might be wise to adopt novel Israeli methods, using behavior-detection technology.

Why Israel? Well, they do have a lot of experience in successfully protecting airports. Apparently Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff agrees because in an interview with Reuters, he said "I think that it is of interest to use to see if there is any adaptation there."

Dare I call it profiling, but Ben-Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv is known for its strict security measures, and relies heavily on techniques that detect suspicious behavior among travelers. Wouldn’t the civil libertarians have a tough time with this? You can’t deny that it works in the country because Israeli technologies detect explosives, which is exactly much of what Chertoff wants to accomplish in protecting U.S. airports and other public places.

Chertoff has signed an agreement with Israel to share technology and information methods to improve homeland security. One of the new systems he saw during a conference in Israel uses behavioral science and biometric sensors to detect sinister intentions among travelers.

Some methods used in Israel wouldn’t work here, such as questioning every passenger. Some U.S. airline hubs, like Chicago O’Hare, see up to 76 million passengers a year. Ben Gurion International handles about 9 million flyers each year.

The Israeli government has the right idea to make its airports much safer. Scanning passengers as soon as they enter the airport might take some of the stress off the security lines. Who knows, trained workers might even be able to profile someone with evil intent long before they are gathered in a cluster of passengers.

About the Author

Ralph C. Jensen is the Publisher/Editor in chief of Security Today magazine.

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