Certified Transportation Security Administration Driver Surveillance & Intelligence 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A driver notices an unfamiliar person loitering near the vehicle staging area for the second consecutive day. Under behavioral threat indicators, this is MOST consistent with:
- Random civilian behavior with no security relevance
- Pattern reconnaissance, indicating possible pre-attack planning (Correct answer)
- A lost motorist seeking directions
- A routine inspection by a non-uniformed supervisor
Correct answer: Pattern reconnaissance, indicating possible pre-attack planning
Repeated loitering near secure vehicle areas over multiple days is a classic sign of pattern reconnaissance used in attack planning.
Question 2: What is the primary purpose of route randomization for TSA transport drivers?
- To reduce fuel consumption by avoiding traffic
- To deny adversaries the ability to predict vehicle location and timing (Correct answer)
- To test driver familiarity with alternate road networks
- To comply with local traffic regulations on restricted roads
Correct answer: To deny adversaries the ability to predict vehicle location and timing
Route randomization prevents predictable patterns that adversaries could exploit to plan an interdiction or attack.
Question 3: During an intelligence briefing, a driver is informed of a 'person of interest' near the delivery zone. The driver should:
- Proceed normally since the briefing is informational only
- Heighten situational awareness, report observations, and follow security protocols (Correct answer)
- Refuse the route until a full law enforcement escort is provided
- Ask the person of interest to identify themselves upon arrival
Correct answer: Heighten situational awareness, report observations, and follow security protocols
Intelligence briefings are actionable — drivers must heighten awareness and report any sightings or anomalies consistent with the briefing.
Question 4: Which behavior is considered a 'surveillance indicator' under DHS behavioral detection guidelines?
- A person checking their phone repeatedly in a public area
- An individual drawing diagrams of a facility entrance while watching vehicle movements (Correct answer)
- A pedestrian walking near a parked government vehicle
- A driver pausing to check a paper map at an intersection
Correct answer: An individual drawing diagrams of a facility entrance while watching vehicle movements
Sketching or diagramming facility layouts while observing vehicle activity is a high-confidence surveillance indicator under DHS guidelines.
Question 5: A TSA driver completes a delivery and notices a vehicle with no plates parked facing the exit gate. The BEST action is:
- Ignore it since the delivery is complete and the threat window has passed
- Note descriptive details and report to security before departing (Correct answer)
- Block the suspicious vehicle with the transport until police arrive
- Photograph the vehicle personally and post it to the agency intranet
Correct answer: Note descriptive details and report to security before departing
Noting and reporting observable details — make, model, color, occupants, direction faced — gives intelligence teams actionable information.
Question 6: What is 'operational security' (OPSEC) most concerned with in the context of TSA transportation?
- Ensuring drivers complete paperwork before departing
- Preventing adversaries from gaining information that could be used to compromise a mission (Correct answer)
- Verifying cargo weights meet Department of Transportation limits
- Maintaining fuel logs for accountability purposes
Correct answer: Preventing adversaries from gaining information that could be used to compromise a mission
OPSEC focuses on denying adversaries critical information — such as routes, timing, and cargo details — that could enable them to disrupt operations.
Question 7: A driver receives a text message from an unknown number claiming to describe a threat at the upcoming checkpoint. The driver should:
- Delete the message to avoid a security breach on the device
- Forward the message to dispatch and report it verbally through official channels (Correct answer)
- Pull over and investigate the checkpoint location using personal navigation apps
- Respond to the unknown number to gather more information
Correct answer: Forward the message to dispatch and report it verbally through official channels
Unknown threat communications must be preserved and routed through official reporting channels — both the message content and its source are intelligence.
Certified Transportation Security Administration Driver Surveillance & Intelligence 3
A driver notices an unfamiliar person loitering near the vehicle staging area for the second consecutive day.
Under behavioral threat indicators, this is MOST consistent with: