Put on the Spot

Travelers, some without shoes on, pass through metal detectors at an airport in Florida. Moments before, I had been fast tracked ahead of these people.

   It happens before overseas flights. Airport security officials take me aside. They pat me down, wand me, and search my possessions. What explains the extra attention? I think it's because I travel with a daypack and nothing else. A traveler with few possessions raises suspicion. 
   Last month in Florida, airport security directed me away from a TSA security line. My reaction was surprise. This flight was a domestic one. Daypacks are commonplace. 
   A second surprise awaited me. Instead of becoming an object of scrutiny, I was whisked through the security choke point. No pat down. No wanding. No removing my belt and shoes. I breezed through a metal detector without waiting in a line. After that I was free to go.
   You'd think I was a visiting head of state.
   I asked an official why they'd fast tracked me. He said they're experimenting with a new approach. They identify travelers whose mannerisms appear low risk. Those people are hustled through security.
   This approach is called  'screening passengers by observational technique,' or SPOT. It's also used to screen potential troublemakers.
   Some people want an end to this kind of screening. They claim it fosters racial profiling.
   I'm against authorities frisking anyone without a reasonable cause. Our Constitution protects us--or should protect us--against unreasonable search and seizure. Can observations of people's mannerisms justify search and seizure? I'm not sure of the answer. Perhaps it's a constitutional grey area.
   One thing isn't grey. I'm happy if some individuals are fast tracked through security and others are not. In Florida I lucked out. In the future I'll wait in line. That's okay. People left behind still make out. Lines shorten. So does waiting.