Will the TSA eliminate pat-downs for children?
June 2011
The image of a child being patted down at a U.S. airport was too much for many airline passengers and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has responded. Will it eliminate pat-downs for children at airports? Not necessarily.
A video of a 6-year-old child undergoing one of the TSA's enhanced pat-downs outraged a flying public already skeptical of security procedures that many find too invasive. Because the child had moved while being screened by a body scanner, the resulting blurry image prompted security officers to conduct a manual pat-down. The TSA now says that it will make repeated attempts to screen children if the first is not successful before conducting a hand-search. In short, pat-downs of children will still be conducted, but only as a last resort.
Children and the elderly have often been mentioned as examples of passengers who should not be considered serious threats. Critics of a one-size-fits-all approach to airport security prefer a form distinguishing non-threatening, low-risk passengers from those who could pose a potential risk. Despite the complaints, no clear answer is given as to how this can be done. Perhaps some gestures by the U.S. government and international aviation bodies could offer some clues.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) recently unveiled its concept for a three-tier security screening "tunnel" that would divide passengers into risk categories and send them through the appropriate level of screening – low, normal and enhanced. For its part, the TSA is going to begin testing its version of a trusted traveler program at selected airports as early as this fall. The program will allow participants to volunteer their background information in exchange for faster, less intrusive screening. The TSA plans to test the lighter screening concept with flight crews, beginning with pilots.
What is apparently clear is that a growing number of passengers are dissatisfied with everyone having to go through the same security procedures. But what happens when you start making exceptions and begin grouping people based on their travel history for frequent flyer status or even how much they are willing to pay for expedited security? While there are some obvious decisions most everyone seems to agree on, such as taking it easier on the children, will decisions to categorize passengers into risk groups or levels of trust really make airport security procedures smarter and more effective, or just more confusing?
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