WORTH READING Mission creep at TSA

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: "Steven J. Manning" <sjmanning () fymc com>
Date: November 10, 2009 11:07:33 AM EST
To: dave () farber net
Subject: Re: [IP] Re: Mission creep at TSA
Reply-To: sjmanning () fymc com

Good morning, Dave.
For IP if you wish.

You are on point.  One mission cannot be substituted for another just because it appears to be more sophisticated or 
intelligent.  A few hours of training in a discipline that is indeed very sophisticated, makes the "new" mission just 
"slick" to those working it.

The age-old, age-old remains.  There is no substitute for good intelligence.  Thus, a question to IP-ers in the know.  

First, a question, digressing:  do we not live in the era of ubiquitous information and the ability of hundreds of 
millions around the world to rapaciously search for it?  

The answer to that first question is self-evident for all of us.   The question for IP-ers in the know:  how far along 
is the project to integrate all the various intelligence organizations' worldwide lists of people on terrorist watch?  
I would think that a heck of a start, when combined with all the technology that exists to "know" where those people 
are and/or to recognize them when they appear.

A couple million people in the world know - instantly - that Shaq O'Neil (terrific guy, by the way) just finished his 
oatmeal.  Sufficient?

By the way, the reference to Israeli security at El Al checkins is as much about BEGINNING the security process than 
BEING the security process.  The seemingly friendly questions those nice people ask the passengers in their 
interminably long lines are just the top lines on the information search.  The follow ups, while the passenger is still 
in line and in the air is where the battle is won.  Sometime ago, one of our lawyers was arrested upon landing in Tel 
Aviv.  Appears that he owed the state two years of mandatory military service.  He left Israel with his parents to live 
in the U.S., thus he did not serve.

He was 2 years old at the time.

Regards.

Steve.

David Farber wrote:
> Sorry Herb, but assuming they are doing their primary job well, expanding their 
> mission with the people they have will most likely affect their primary mission. Also I worry that giving other 
> missions to people who seem to have search power without legal control will sacrifice our freedom 
>
> Dave
>
> Begin forwarded message:
>
> From: "Lin, Herb" <HLin () nas edu>
> Date: November 10, 2009 9:06:22 AM EST
> To: "Brian Sniffen" <bts () evenmere org>, "David Farber" <dave () farber net>
> Subject: RE: Mission creep at TSA
>
> I agree that the program is an example of mission creep, and that it’s undesirable (we warn against mission creep in 
> our report too).  But I suspect that you’d find most policy makers supportive of such an expansion of mission, on the 
> rationale that “as long as the program is there, we might as well get maximum value out of it.”  The only real 
> argument against it is that such expansion will reduce its effectiveness in carrying out its primary mission, but 
> that argument is very hard to make when there’s already zero people caught for threatening aircraft security. 
>  
> If you had an idea about a better way to make that argument, I’d love to hear it.
>  
> From: Brian Sniffen [mailto:bts () evenmere org] 
> Sent: Tuesday, November 10, 2009 9:00 AM
> To: Lin, Herb; David Farber
> Subject: Mission creep at TSA
>  
> The mission creep described is not the new tools, but the ends to which they are put:
>  
> >    Last year, officers nationwide required 98,805 passengers to undergo 
> >    additional screenings.  Police questioned 9,854 of them and arrested 813. 
> >
> >
> > The article goes on to cite multiple incidents of people arrested for various 
> > crimes but NOT ONE was mentioned that had anything to do with aircraft security. 
> >
> > I have to wonder how long before TSA is also detaining deadbeat dads and three-strikes 
> > parking ticket offenders.... 
>
>
> Under the TSA mandate, this is not a 1:100 ratio of successful captures to bothered passengers, but 0.  But under 
> they're new and easier job of general law enforcement, they can claim these arrests as successes. 
>
> Archives      

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Steven J. Manning
 
 
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