"OIA may get beefed-up security"

Thursday, August 23, 2007

OIA may get beefed-up security
BY DONNA BALANCIA 
FLORIDA TODAY


Orlando International Airport could be one of many airports across the
nation to use a new covert system implemented by the Transportation Security
Administration to deter terrorist activities.

A new security program called Screening Passengers by Observation Techniques
or SPOT -- in which uniformed Transportation Security Administration
officers are dispatched across the country to observe passenger behavior --
has been deployed at more than a dozen airports deemed "high-risk," TSA
spokeswoman Sari Koshetz said.

She would not disclose whether Orlando International is on that list. Boston
Logan was the pilot program for SPOT, started in June 2003.

"The program has already been rolled out to more than a dozen airports, but
we're not going to comment on which airports they are, for security
reasons," Koshetz said. "We believe in a multilayered approach to security
so those who want to do us harm won't be able to game the system."

In many cases, the TSA officers trained in observation techniques will watch
for passengers who may not exhibit typical traveler behaviors. The end of
2008 is the target date to complete the rollout, Koshetz said.

However, for some, the program may indicate an opportunity to detain people
unnecessarily.

Attorney Tonya Meister of Lipcon, Margulies and Alcina said the new program
raises concerns.

"I would be concerned that they not target people based on appearance,
meaning profiling," Meister said. "I wouldn't want people to get targeted by
race or socioeconomic factors."

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