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Airport Screeners to Avoid Pat-Downs of Children

CNN

The Transportation Security Administration is changing its policy on how screeners can search children, the agency’s head has said.

TSA Administrator John Pistole announced the change at a Wednesday meeting of the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee.

The change was prompted by outrage over a video-recorded pat-down of a 6-year-old airline passenger at the New Orleans airport on April 5. The video, which was posted on YouTube, shows the girl protesting at first to the search, although she complies quietly while it is under way.

Pistole explained to committee members that a female security screener performed a pat-down search on the 6-year-old girl because the child had moved while passing through an airport body imaging machine. That prevented the device from getting a clear reading that the child was not carrying any banned objects through airport security.

“We have changed the policy to say that there’ll be repeated efforts made to resolve that without a pat-down,” Pistole told committee members.

The new policy will apply to children 10 years old or younger, Pistole said.
The incident renewed debate over the the TSA’s security practices, especially their use on such low-risk passengers as young children. A backlash against passenger pat-downs — an alternative to full-body scans in some locations — swelled during the holiday travel season last year. Pistole maintained at the time that the agency walks a fine line between privacy concerns and public safety.

However, during the committee meeting, U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Kentucky, grilled Pistole for erring thoughtlessly too far on the side of safety.

“This isn’t to say we don’t believe in safety procedures,” Paul said. “But I think I feel less safe when we’re doing these invasive exams on a 6-year-old. It makes me think that you’re clueless, that you think she’s going to attack our country, and that you’re not doing your research on the people who would attack our country.”

Pistole suggested a pat-down of a child is not entirely unjustified.

“Unfortunately, we know that terrorists around the world have used children as suicide bombers,” Pistole replied.

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12 Comments

  • Shlucha

    My young daughter was once involved in a ‘patdown’ at JFK. It was done very respectfully by a woman who explained what was happening. I was ok with it as was my daughter. I did not make a fuss about it b/c I am aware of airport security. I was with my daughter the whole time and she was not scared at all. It turns out that the decorative studs on her skirt had set off the detectors.
    I can’t see any problem with enforcing security if is done in the way I just described.

  • crazy?!!?!?!?!?!?!

    that is totally ridiculous
    why does a young child need to be checked over like that?

  • just hire the right ppl for the job

    I agree with #1. My 5-yr old son got a patdown in JFK. It was a man who did it. He explained to him what was happening, told him how they need him to take off his shoes so they can take a pic of it in this “special camera machine” and we need to feel if u have anything with metal on him. He was totally fine with it, and I was impressed that they dealt with safety issues in such a decent manner.
    I do think it is important to screen kids as well as adults. and seniors. But I think it’s very important that they explain to the kid what’s going on and do it in a gentle way.

  • nothing wrong with TSA - something wrong

    I just watched the video on utube. what is wrong?????? the tsa officer explained to her every step of the way what she’s doing. she seemed fine. u hear the mother in the background upset saying “y r they doing a drugtest on a 6-yr old?” then the mother gets on in interview and says after the camera was off the kid got nervous and asked what she did wrong.

    1) the mother thought it was testing for drugs? does she not know what’s going on around her? does she not feel it’s the safest route to her destination?

    2) the mother getting all upset is what put the thoughts in the kids head that something isn’t right. that’s y only a few minutes later did she start getting nervous.

    I think this mother was totally out of place.

    http://www.youtube.com/watc…

  • yes

    I agree.
    A child who gets pat downed might think its ok for someone to touch them.
    It is much better

  • Israeli

    American airport security is TRASH, period!
    When the suitcases go by they don’t even look at the screen! And arabs go through freely, only a two yr old they have to check.
    Israeli airport has best security!!! They should teach the world!

  • No Problem

    BH

    Maybe your kids don’t carry bombs, but the Arab kids do! I would rather my child geting a pat-down then having a terrorist with bombs on-board!

  • Child

    The mother could easily hide drugs in her daughter shoes or cloths. So can suicide bombers use children to carry out the act.

  • I Agree With 9

    Thats is just another way to smuggle bomb’s on plains C”V.
    It worth that little screening, knowing that there is no bomb’s on-board, and that you are flying safe!