The TSA yesterday expanded its behavior detection program to Detroit, according to a report in Bloomberg Businessweek.
The agency implemented a pilot program over the summer in Terminal A of Boston's Logan International Airport. Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport now joins the pilot.
The program employs TSA officers to ask passengers simple questions about where they're traveling, what they'll be doing there, etc., and watch their responses for signs of nefarious intent. Hence the term "chat down", as opposed to "pat down".
The program, which has been compared to the extensive questioning that airline passengers undergo in Israeli airports, is an attempt by the TSA to move away from a one-size-fits-all approach to security and towards a risk-based approach.
