TSA Talking Plan: Behavior detection program means more interaction with passengers

On July 29, 2011, CNN reported that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is expanding its behavior detection program. The plan involves increased conversation with travelers and allows trained officers to question and act on passengers they find suspicious outside of security checkpoints.

In an interview with CNN, Motley Rice aviation lawyer and former Department of Transportation Inspector General Mary Schiavo explained that passenger prescreening programs have been tried before but were run by airline personnel rather than trained officers, making the new system potentially more effective if run properly.

"That was the problem on September 11, 2001. People found things suspicious about passengers, but they didn't act and they didn't feel empowered to act," said Schiavo.

Schiavo added that the prescreening plan is necessary in order to have a "layered security approach" and will not slow down the security screening process if executed correctly.

Read the full CNN transcript on the behavior detection program.

Read about Motley Rice's aviation lawyers and how they work to protect passenger rights and fight on behalf of victims' family members and injured crash survivors.