At a time when our country’s aviation system is safer, stronger, and more secure than it was 10 years ago, this [Congressional] report is an unfortunate disservice to the dedicated men and women of TSA who are on the frontlines every day protecting the traveling public.

We know from incidents such as the Christmas Day, 2009 attempted bombing of Northwest flight # 253 and the 2010 plot to detonate explosives in cargo on planes that terrorists continue to target the aviation sector. In the past decade, TSA has developed a highly trained federal workforce that has safely screened over 5 billion passengers and established a multi-layered security system reaching from curb to cockpit. Every day we see the effectiveness of these security measures with TSA officers preventing more than 1,100 guns from being brought onto passenger aircraft this year alone.    

As part of our continued evolution, TSA recently implemented several risk-based security measures designed to maintain a high level of security, while improving the overall travel experience, whenever possible. These include adding enhanced privacy software to our advanced imaging technology units, launching the TSA Pre✓™ pilot, an initiative that prescreens eligible passengers to potentially expedite their physical screening and modifying screening procedures for children.  Each of these initiatives moves us away from a one-size fits all approach and enhances our ability to provide the most effective security, focusing on those who present the highest risk, in the most efficient way possible.

Further comments:

There is no formula for terrorist behavior just like there is no template of specific behaviors that are always associated with specific crimes.  But there are reliable indicators of anomalous behaviors based on scientific research and empirical data that indicate the fear of discovery.  This fear of discovery causes a body to elicit certain behavioral cues.  BDOs look for these cues that deviate from normal behavior and refer those individuals exhibiting such behavior for secondary screening and/or to law enforcement.

For security reasons, we cannot outline the specific behaviors that we have trained our BDOs to look for, but we can tell you that no single behavior will result in a SPOT referral or call to law enforcement.  BDOs are looking for a number of behaviors that, all together, indicate that a particular passenger should be scrutinized more closely.

SPOT can be likened to "human alarm resolution."   Just like an alarm at the walk-through metal detector signals a need for additional screening to resolve the cause of the alarm, certain behaviors are a signal to BDOs, telling them they need to refer a traveler for additional screening to assess if the behaviors have either a threatening or non-threatening origin.

You might ask, can't a terrorist just train themselves not to exhibit the behaviors BDOs are looking for? TSA has worked with renowned behavioral psychologists and experts in the field of behavioral analysis who have confirmed that it is incredibly difficult to suppress physical and physiological factors that the human body uses to dissipate stress because they are completely involuntary.  Further when an individual tries to suppress these reactions, the more they overcompensate and display other cues which are detectable.

When the human body lies or engages in deceitful behavior, a conflict occurs between one's conscious and subconscious.  This conflict results in cognitive overload and makes it difficult for a person to answer even routine questions with ease. Lying and deceit cause stress, which manifests itself in many ways that a person can't control at will.  For a terrorist, the stress would not be the fear of dying, but the fear of being discovered and not completing his/her mission.

Then you ask, how do you measure that success?  Has TSA actually caught terrorists using SPOT? TSA won't say whether we've caught actual terrorists. Many of the cases that resulted in arrests remain under active investigation by law enforcement.  We may not know if the people SPOT caught in the country illegally, using fake passports/IDs or smuggling money or drugs were doing so to assist with a larger plot.  But it's clearly an effective means of identifying people engaged in activity that may threaten the security of the passengers and the airports and has become a very effective intelligence tool, enabling law enforcement to bust larger operations and track any trends in nefarious activity.

In addition, the deterrent value of the program can't be overstated.   SPOT adds another layer of security to the airport environment and presents the terrorists with yet one more challenge they need to overcome in attempt to defeat our security system.  An analogy   --- can you tell me how many thefts or break-ins a car alarm or a house alarm prevents?  The red light flashing when the would-be criminal glances in the window is a deterrent.  SPOT is one of many layers of deterrence TSA has  established.