Software to Randomize Police Operations at LAX

owlgorithm writes "A USC research group has created software, named ARMOR (Assistant for Randomized Monitoring over Routes), that will be used at LAX Airport to make security and police operations there truly unpredictable. The software records the locations of routine, random vehicle checkpoints and canine searches at the airport, and police provide data on possible terrorist targets, based in part on recent security breaches or suspicious activity. The software then makes random decisions (which are thankfully based on calculated probabilities of terrorist attacks) and tells the police where to dispatch and when. The most notable detail is that terrorists who had access to ARMOR still wouldn't be able to predict the searches."

Comments

Why spend the money?

[Fnord666]

...that will be used at LAX Airport to make security and police operations there truly unpredictable

Have you ever been to LAX? Security and police operations are already truly unpredictable and seemingly random.

Re:Why spend the money?

[evil agent]

unpredictable and seemingly random

Are you sure you're not thinking of flight times?

Re:Why spend the money?

[Bananenrepublik]

What a great excuse that makes.

"Guys, why are all of you in the smoking area?" - "Computer told us."

"Guys, shouldn't you be patroling places other than the women's changing rooms?" - "Sorry, computer told us."

"Guys, don't tell me the computer told you to play poker" - "No, but he sure is a tough player."

Randomness eh? Well then...

[CrazyJim1]

I have a paper that covers rock.

Re:Randomness eh? Well then...

[i_liek_turtles]

Nonsense! It has these awesome... uhh... you know... Amendments! That's it!

I leaked the algorithm:

[Ethanol-fueled]

do {
goAfterTheBeardedGuy();
}while(beardedguy == brown);

Re:Can you spell "Hacker"?

[Renraku]

I posted a similar idea to a proposed improvement in a homeland security project last week and people modded me up for it. Sure glad we are free to say such things and that we'd never be suddenly interr

Finally.

[ChePibe]

It's about time airports started using their luggage routing software for security purposes.

Brilliant, Randomness!!

[protolith]

Are they going to have truly random responses?

Thursday, Red panties are prohibited from carry on Luggage.
Friday, the X-ray conveyor machine will distribute Salisbury steak.

Periodically travelers will be pulled from the security line,
some will be sent directly to their planes, some will be beaten with sticks.

Saturday, the first 100 customers get a hand grenade!
Sunday, 100 random travelers will be conscripted to run security for the rest of the day.

Re:It's working so well

[MrNaz]

More to the point:

"The software then makes random decisions (which are thankfully based on calculated probabilities of terrorist attacks) and tells the police where to dispatch and when."

Does that mean that, given that the US's rate of deaths from acts of terrorism is so low as to be negligible, it will tell police to dispatch to the Whitehouse?

I can see it now, the presidential motorcade gets pulled over by airport security "Sorry sir, please step out of the vehicle, the computer has flagged you as being a person of interest in the global war on terror."

Saving throw?

[Anonymous Coward]

Can I get a saving throw? And more importantly, will they recognise my +5 tin foil hat?

Re:Dupe damn you!

[gbobeck]

If you were 16 days earlier, you would have won OMG Ponies

Re:Is it THAT hard...

[PinkyDead]

They tried that at Heathrow, but they found that the baggage area became quickly infested with level 4 trolls, a small army of Orcs had set up camp in the ladies toilets and a level 12 necromancer took over the computer system.