By CBS NEWS August 14, 2018, 11:27 AM
TSA Administrator David Pekoske said a surveillance program known as "Quiet Skies," which has been criticized for tracking American citizens not suspected of any crimes, "makes an awful lot of sense."
"Our job overall as an agency, and the air marshals in particular, in flight, are working to make sure that we mitigate any risks that could occur in aircraft at 10,000, 20,000, 30,000 feet," Pekoske told CBS News in his first TV interview since the "Quiet Skies" program was disclosed to the public. "If an agency responsible for security has some information that might indicate that there may be -- emphasis on may be -- more risk with a particular passenger, providing some mitigation or some risk management on the flight is a very important and very reassuring thing to me."
"Quiet Skies," first reported by The Boston Globe, dates back to 2011. It uses computer software to flag travelers, including U.S. citizens, who could pose a threat but may not have been accused of a crime and are not on the No Fly List.
In March, the program expanded to include assigning teams of air marshals to observe certain flyers' behavior while at airports and on flights.
