why is tsa always at my crotch..seriously
#91
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Greensboro
Programs: TSA
Posts: 2,424
Pre absolutely does not guarantee random additional screening. I Am TSApre And was just pulled to be randomly screened through the large body scan. They noted a problem in the groin area. Was completely and embarrassingly patted down. Wearing a dress of all things. It was horrible. And they said that the groin area discovery wasn’t random. There was something there. Huh? Not a thing. Sorry “honey.”
#92
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 3,526
Pre absolutely does not guarantee random additional screening. I Am TSApre And was just pulled to be randomly screened through the large body scan. They noted a problem in the groin area. Was completely and embarrassingly patted down. Wearing a dress of all things. It was horrible. And they said that the groin area discovery wasn’t random. There was something there. Huh? Not a thing. Sorry “honey.”
The body scanner alarms on the "groin area" far too often. TSA seems to be convinced that someone will try to sneak explosives onto a plane concealed in their genital area and, by gosh, they are going to catch them when they do, even if they have to sexually assault a million innocent people before they do so.
#93
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: DFW
Posts: 28,114
The WTMD also has a random selection element to it. So, you may have been selected by that for additional screening. The Pre program has a random element that will deselect you, and send you to the standard screening process. So, if you actually had Pre on your boarding pass and entered the Pre lane, then you were most likely selected randomly by the WTMD. As far as the alarm, if the machine indicates an alarm, the alarm has to be cleared, regardless of where it is. Sometimes the area can be cleared by visually assessing the alarming area (like a bare forearm), sometimes it has to be cleared by patdown (like on the pocket area of a pair of pants).
Does a TSA screener in any way touch or feel the genitals of the person getting a pat down?
#94
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Baltimore, MD USA
Programs: Southwest Rapid Rewards. Tha... that's about it.
Posts: 4,332
The WTMD also has a random selection element to it. So, you may have been selected by that for additional screening. The Pre program has a random element that will deselect you, and send you to the standard screening process. So, if you actually had Pre on your boarding pass and entered the Pre lane, then you were most likely selected randomly by the WTMD. As far as the alarm, if the machine indicates an alarm, the alarm has to be cleared, regardless of where it is. Sometimes the area can be cleared by visually assessing the alarming area (like a bare forearm), sometimes it has to be cleared by patdown (like on the pocket area of a pair of pants).
#95
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: DFW
Posts: 28,114
When TSA decides a pat down is called for do they still give an advisement speech about the procedure that is about to happen? What is stated about "sensitive areas"? If certain aspects of the pat down procedure are not disclosed and the screener makes purposeful contact with the genital area of the victim wouldn't that be considered assault?
Getting the truth out of TSA is impossible so this question is directed to those of us that have had recent Whole Body Pat Downs.
#96
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Greensboro
Programs: TSA
Posts: 2,424
The most common description of what happens in the upper inner thigh area, is go up until meeting resistance. That is what I use, and what I have seen most TSOs (here and at other airports) use. I will refer you once again to the video of what to expect during a pat-down. That video gives the best representation of the TSA pat-down in its current configuration as I have seen. It shows how the groin, and upper inner thigh areas are cleared according to proper protocol.
Just follow up questions:
When TSA decides a pat down is called for do they still give an advisement speech about the procedure that is about to happen? What is stated about "sensitive areas"? If certain aspects of the pat down procedure are not disclosed and the screener makes purposeful contact with the genital area of the victim wouldn't that be considered assault?
Getting the truth out of TSA is impossible so this question is directed to those of us that have had recent Whole Body Pat Downs.
When TSA decides a pat down is called for do they still give an advisement speech about the procedure that is about to happen? What is stated about "sensitive areas"? If certain aspects of the pat down procedure are not disclosed and the screener makes purposeful contact with the genital area of the victim wouldn't that be considered assault?
Getting the truth out of TSA is impossible so this question is directed to those of us that have had recent Whole Body Pat Downs.
As I mentioned above, the official position of TSA is that any contact with genitals in incidental. The phrase I most commonly here is "meet resistance" when describing the upper inner thigh clearance.
*TSA did away with the term "whole body pat-down" years ago, it is currently just called a "pat-down".
Last edited by TWA884; Sep 24, 2019 at 4:02 pm Reason: Merge consecutive posts by the same member; please use the multi-quote function. Thank you.
#97
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: DFW
Posts: 28,114
The way we resolve alarms on AIT or WTMD screening, has not changed in a few years. A few years ago, we implemented a standardized pat-down process, and it has not changed very much since then - so *in theory* every pat-down by TSA should be pretty much the same (although YMMV).
#98
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Greensboro
Programs: TSA
Posts: 2,424
Yes, the advisements are still given prior to the pat-down. As I indicated above, I am almost certain that posting the whole spiel of advisements is probably not prohibited, but I can find no place on any publication by TSA that they are listed. So, I will err on the side of caution (in terms of the possibility of SSI), and state that the advisements tell you what is going to happen in some pretty good level of detail. There are a few questions asked - sore or sensitive, private screening area. If I ever get an approved list of the advisement to publish, I will publish it here and (hopefully) at the Blog.
#99
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: DFW
Posts: 28,114
Yes, the advisements are still given prior to the pat-down. As I indicated above, I am almost certain that posting the whole spiel of advisements is probably not prohibited, but I can find no place on any publication by TSA that they are listed. So, I will err on the side of caution (in terms of the possibility of SSI), and state that the advisements tell you what is going to happen in some pretty good level of detail. There are a few questions asked - sore or sensitive, private screening area. If I ever get an approved list of the advisement to publish, I will publish it here and (hopefully) at the Blog.
#100
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Greensboro
Programs: TSA
Posts: 2,424
If I am understanding correctly there is now only one pat down. Call it a pat down or whole body pat down (which is factually descriptive) is saying the same thing. If I alarm at the MMW AIT (Whole Body Scanner) on my upper shoulder will I get a full pat down since that is the only kind TSA has?
#101
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: DFW
Posts: 28,114
Ok, you got me, I guess there are technically different kinds of pat-downs. The standard pat-down, and then the ones performed at the AIT (but that is the same pat-down, but only the part that applies to the alarming area). So, there is only one pat-down, and we use parts of it at the AIT (although some will argue that it is multiples based upon semantics). If that made sense?
#102
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Baltimore, MD USA
Programs: Southwest Rapid Rewards. Tha... that's about it.
Posts: 4,332
Ok, you got me, I guess there are technically different kinds of pat-downs. The standard pat-down, and then the ones performed at the AIT (but that is the same pat-down, but only the part that applies to the alarming area). So, there is only one pat-down, and we use parts of it at the AIT (although some will argue that it is multiples based upon semantics). If that made sense?
This is exactly the kind of confusing, contradictory crap from TSA we're constantly railing against here, and the worst part about it is, I am certain that you are not being intentionally deceptive and are genuinely trying to answer our questions to the best of your ability, within the unreasonable (and IMHO, un-Constitutional) restrictions placed upon you by your employer.
#103
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: DFW
Posts: 28,114
Ok, you got me, I guess there are technically different kinds of pat-downs. The standard pat-down, and then the ones performed at the AIT (but that is the same pat-down, but only the part that applies to the alarming area). So, there is only one pat-down, and we use parts of it at the AIT (although some will argue that it is multiples based upon semantics). If that made sense?
I know that you have referred to the video of a pat down as a reference point but truthfully that video obscures the process when the inner upper leg is reached and there is no available printed information which tells a passenger exactly what the limits of a pat down are. I don't think that is an oversight on the part of TSA, just a continued pattern of dishonesty from the TSA agency.
I hope that at some point the complete pat down advisement will become available to the public.
#104
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 3,526
If I am understanding correctly there is now only one pat down. Call it a pat down or whole body pat down (which is factually descriptive) is saying the same thing. If I alarm at the MMW AIT (Whole Body Scanner) on my upper shoulder will I get a full pat down since that is the only kind TSA has?
I told her that I’d just gone through that. Rudely, she remarked, “This is a full-body pat-down — nothing to do with that one.” She proceeded to do her pat-down without much explanation.
“Our brand of “security” makes everyone miserable, but not safe.”
[email protected]
Both links courtesy of Freedom to Travel USA
https://nypost.com/2019/09/26/tsa-ma...ecurity-right/
#105
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Greensboro
Programs: TSA
Posts: 2,424
Oh, come on now, the difference between patting down a persons entire body and patting down just a shoulder or just an arm is a lot more than just semantics, and if you don't realize that, you really should have. I think any reasonable person who has not been subjected to years of doubletalk brainwashing by TSA would understand that a full-body pat down is not the same thing as a partial or targeted area pat down.
This is exactly the kind of confusing, contradictory crap from TSA we're constantly railing against here, and the worst part about it is, I am certain that you are not being intentionally deceptive and are genuinely trying to answer our questions to the best of your ability, within the unreasonable (and IMHO, un-Constitutional) restrictions placed upon you by your employer.
This is exactly the kind of confusing, contradictory crap from TSA we're constantly railing against here, and the worst part about it is, I am certain that you are not being intentionally deceptive and are genuinely trying to answer our questions to the best of your ability, within the unreasonable (and IMHO, un-Constitutional) restrictions placed upon you by your employer.
The restrictions are (for the vast majority of the time) understandable. I disagree with some of the things that are covered as SSI - many of the cases where you can sit in front or back of a checkpoint and learn the process through observation are the ones I disagree with the most. If you can sit and videotape it going on, or just sit in front of the checkpoint and watch what happens and learn it, then we should have a video posted online to show the basics of what to expect, for clarity (and from an organizational point of view, for accountability within the workforce) and for better awareness. If we posted a pat down from A-B, and somehow managed to get it on Jimmy Kimmel, it would do wonders for the public understanding of the basics. The resolution processes, and some of the stuff we do as a result of alarms, will probably never be posted - and I understand that (again, I don't always agree with it, but I understand it). If I had my way, we would do videos explaining things that can cause delays, generate alarms (within reason), and the process from the beginning to the end - starting with tips on how to pack bags for a number of reasons - efficiency, best way to pack so that large items that you reasonably expect to alarm the screening, etc. Of course, I am just a TSO from GSO, a part time Blog Team member (although that is still currently in flux), and a regular guy from NC, so I am not privy to all the information that HQ uses to make these decisions. Based upon those facts, I am reasonably confident that I am probably not listed as an authority that the Administrator is going to consult on these items (now or in the future).