be applied with insufficient training or judgment. Overreactions can impose
high costs too--on individuals, our economy, and our beliefs about justice.
as he tried to enter the United States. The inspector relied on intu-
itive experience to ask questions more than he relied on any objec-
tive factor that could be detected by "scores" or a machine. Good
people who have worked in such jobs for a long time understand this
phenomenon well. Other evidence we obtained confirmed the
importance of letting experienced gate agents or security screeners ask
questions and use their judgment.This is not an invitation to arbitrary
exclusions. But any effective system has to grant some scope, perhaps
in a little extra inspection or one more check, to the instincts and dis-
cretion of well trained human beings.
grated into a larger network of screening points that includes our trans-
portation system and access to vital facilities, such as nuclear reactors.
The President should direct the Department of Homeland Security to
lead the effort to design a comprehensive screening system, addressing
common problems and setting common standards with systemwide
goals in mind. Extending those standards among other governments
could dramatically strengthen America and the world's collective abil-
ity to intercept individuals who pose catastrophic threats.
involve guesswork about who might be dangerous. It requires frontline border
officials who have the tools and resources to establish that people are who they
say they are, intercept identifiable suspects, and disrupt terrorist operations.
The border and immigration system of the United States must remain a visible
manifestation of our belief in freedom, democracy, global economic growth, and
the rule of law, yet serve equally well as a vital element of counterterrorism. Inte-
grating terrorist travel information in the ways we have described is the most
immediate need. But the underlying system must also be sound.
grant Status Indicator Technology program). It takes two biometric