TSA ‘Not Capable’ of detecting Moscow-like attack, critics say

By BRIAN ROSS and JOSEPH RHEE
ABC News

A $212-million federal program designed to spot suspected terrorists at American airports is “not capable of detecting what took place in Moscow,” according to the chairman of the House Transportation Committee, Rep. John Mica, R-Florida.

The program, called SPOT, was created in 2006 by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), and now has more than 3,000 “Behavior Detection” officers at 161 airports. The officers receive four days of classroom instruction on how to spot certain unusual behaviors.

But the Government Accountability Office says the TSA has relied on unproven behavioral science and Congressional critics say the program has done nothing to deal with the actual vulnerabilities of airport security.