Conservative refuge

Air travelers departing from Boston Logan International Airport may experience something new during the screening process: a “casual conversation” with security at the checkpoint.
On the job training began Tuesday for officers in the TSA’s expanded behavior detection program — a pilot initiative that will be in place in the airport’s Terminal A for 60 days. Logan is the only airport with the pilot program.
As they talk with passengers, the officers will try to spot potentially high-risk travelers by looking for suspicious behavior and facial expressions of tension, fear or deception.
“The majority of passengers will experience a casual conversation with a behavior detection officer after they provide their boarding pass and ID,” said TSA spokesman Greg Soule.
“A small portion of passengers may get selected for an extended conversation and if the behaviors are still being exhibited, they may receive additional screening. In some cases, they may be referred to law enforcement.”
More than 3,000 behavior detection officers are already deployed at airports across the nation as part of the Screening Passengers by Observation Techniques (SPOT) program, Soule said.
The pilot initiative at Logan is different in that the officers will engage passengers in a conversation, rather than just observe them.