ACLU: Airport frisks are invitation to sexual harassment
By Samantha Murphy
Court TV
(Court TV) -- Travelers bound for long lines at security checkpoints in airports across the nation this Thanksgiving season may not realize exactly what they are in for.
Even those who pass successfully though metal detectors and appear unsuspicious may be subject to an intrusive pat-down in sensitive body areas, including breasts, genitals, and buttocks.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) began allowing full-body frisks when it revamped its screening tests on Sept. 22 to ensure passenger safety. Since then, about a dozen complaints are filed each week regarding screening misconduct, many from women who feel they were groped.
"This is unquestionably an issue of infringement upon civil liberties," said Barry Steinhardt, director of the ACLU's Technology and Liberty Program.
Although the need to boost passenger security is understandable, Steinhardt said, the specific pat-down technique is extremely inappropriate.
"This is an open invitation for harassment," he said. "We have even received sexual harassment complaints."
TSA spokeswoman Ann Davis said although her agency receives complaints every week, the vast majority of travelers have no issue with the new procedures.
"The new search is performed in an extremely respectful manner," she said. "Each screener will say where he or she is going to put their hand so people will not be caught off-guard."
For non-sensitive areas, including a person's back, screeners use the fronts of their hands during the pat-down. For sensitive areas, including a woman's breasts, they are required to use the backs of their hands, Davis said.
In most circumstances, screeners of the same gender as the passenger will conduct the pat-down.
As a female traveler who has recently undergone four secondary screening procedures, Davis said she has never felt as though she had been groped.
"When I am brought into a private screening area, I never tell them I work for TSA, just to see how they treat and handle passengers," she said. "I personally have never felt uncomfortable. Plus, I don't think the screeners specifically enjoy it."
After two Russian airlines crashed in August as a result of two Chechen women who attached explosives under their garments, TSA launched alternative security techniques to counter potential threats, Davis said.
The changes also came from a recent recommendation of the 9/11 Commission Report that all passengers selected for a secondary screening be checked for explosives.
"We are always looking to modify techniques to make our security better," Davis said.
Steinhardt, however, said these new precautions are not only inappropriate, but inefficient.
"A lot of these measures are not particularly effective, but TSA does not want to be accused of not doing anything," he said. "TSA needs to finish implementing updated equipment to detect weapons and explosives and better training for screeners."
Passengers who feel violated by or uncomfortable with a screener are encouraged to file a report or talk to a supervisor on duty to rectify the problem, Davis said.
"We want everyone to feel comfortable," she said. "Some people are going directly to their local newspapers to complain, but we want to know if they are touched inappropriately. We will send screeners back to training and make sure everything is in the passenger's best interest."
Security will remain strong during the Thanksgiving holiday, especially on Wednesday, which sees more air traffic than any other day of the year.
Passengers are advised to allot an extra 30 minutes of line-waiting time to pass through security this week. Davis said supervisors and airport officials will be manning checkpoint areas to keep the lines flowing smoothly and quickly.
"Not including metal detectors and pre-computer screenings, 12 to 15 percent of passengers are pulled aside for random security checks," Davis said. "If there is a strange or unusual contour on someone's clothing that needs scrutinizing, we will pull them aside."
To ensure passenger comfort, Davis said all passengers are allowed to request a private cubicle-like area. "We are just taking every extra precaution to secure safety and make people feel comfortable."
Steinhardt, however, said this type of screening merely gives people the illusion that TSA is taking new security measures.
"This process is mostly just for show," he said.
