nrr

That day (about 3 weeks ago) it seems every 3rd person was "random", so it's possible the TSA agent realized there was a "glitch" and rather than shutting down (the single TSA Pre-Check lane to re-program) just went through the "motions" and patted some body area.
[A few weeks ago in LAS (Pre-Check), they had to do a random check of my carry-on, agent: "do you have an iPhone or iPad?", they swabbed ONLY my iPad [nothing else in my c/o was looked at.]

Boggie Dog

My personal opinion, if they go under your clothing in any manner that exceeds a reasonable inspection for TSA's purposes. This is not a law enforcement search and those standards rarely reach the degree that TSA uses unless the person is being locked up.

WillCAD

Probably a specific alert about iPad-shaped nuclear weapons being smuggled from Yemen or Somalia to Chicago or Denver through Las Vegas (SSI of course, no need for the American public to actually know about potential threats to our personal or societal safety).

Remember, they KNOW things... things that we don't WANT to know... things that would make us go screaming into the night if we heard them whispered into our ears... things like, some Bad Guys watched Die Hard With a Vengeance and Batman one too many times and thought they could make binary liquid explosives that could take out a plane. Hairspray mixed with lipstick and perfume would be explosive, and untraceable.

gsoltso

I have not. I merely indicated what appeared to have happened when a passenger described an experience, and then declined to discuss policy - just for the record, I can not discuss policy unless the organization has posted it publicly. In this case, I have seen some articles posted, some discussion, but no press releases or testimony describing the pat-down policy. The best I can do to explain, is share what the organization has publicly posted.

I can not discuss policy unless it is published by the organization. You are correct though, I commented on what appears to have happened, based upon the description given. I can not give any more information than can be found at the TSA Blog, the expectations page at TSA.gov, or direct quotes from head shed spokes personnel. As of this moment, I do not see the policy openly or directly stated in the public forum.

Boggie Dog

Any agency that hides behind SSI on a procedure like a physical genital grope is nothing less than cowardly. TSA claims that we consent to all screening procedures but without knowing the extent of the screening grope how can informed consent be given?

gsoltso

I refer you once again to the "What to expect during a pat-down" video. It gives a pretty well explained, and demonstrated process.

Boggie Dog

<br />

If that video is accurate then why are men, women, and children having their genitals fondled by TSA screeners?

Loren Pechtel

Except this video doesn't match the reality at the checkpoint.

petaluma1

The video very conveniently leaves out the genital fondling. I wonder why. TSA needs to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth about these pat downs.

gsoltso

I have seen nothing in the descriptors, or the video indicating that "stroking or caressing lovingly or erotically" was a part of the process. If you watch the video, it shows you the norm for how the female breasts are cleared, and how the buttocks and groin are cleared - there is an actual physical demonstration of what to expect in the video. If something other than what is represented in this video happens, and the passenger feels that it is not according to the expectations set by this video, then they should file a complaint. The pat-down is a process used by TSA to look for WEI/dangerous items, in order to keep them off of planes, there are some differences now, compared to when I started, but the pat-downs are going to be a part of the process moving forward - policy arguments aside, it has been here since the beginning, and I do not see TSA removing it from the system now.

petaluma1

https://www.cnn.com/videos/travel/20...down-video.hln - interesting that the TSA video doesn't show a passenger being knocked off balance

- interesting that the TSA video doesn't show a forearm up in a crotch

- interesting that the TSA video doesn't show hands up in the "resistance"

Video of airport pat down at Lindbergh Field goes viral - CBS News 8 - San Diego, CA News Station - KFMB Channel 8 - interesting that the TSA video doesn't show a hand lingering in a passenger's genitals as this video does

Also interesting that the TSA video doesn't mention that a passenger can be "patted down" by multiple screeners in order to "resolve" an alarm.

- another chop to the groin which led to the sceener being arrested by the passenger and to TSA's lie to the court: "…contact with Plaintiff's genitals, if any at all, was incidental and occurred through the course of a typical security pat-down."

Boggie Dog

I would still like to know how a traveler can give informed consent if specific details of the so-called "TSA Pat Down", more correctly called a "TSA Sexual Assualt" are not provided by TSA?

chollie

Sad to realize this thread was only started 18 months ago. The title is no longer accurate - if it ever was, because if TSA wants to do something, it doesn't matter if it is legal or not.

It's hard to get much more intimate than deliberate repeated genital contact, nipple contact, fingers in butt cracks and inside underwear, and removal of clothing, dressings, braces, even nipple piercings. That's in addition to running fingers through hair and stroking bald heads, faces, and other bare skin.

The only way to get more intimate now is to engage in cavity penetration.

Boggie Dog

Only a matter of time for TSA to do so. Of course then TSA can reuse the "until we meet resistance" lie again.

petaluma1

Wasn't it Pistole who claimed he had the authority to order cavity searches but he wasn't planning to do so?