What is the TSA protocol for if a checkpoints' WTMD is broken? Can they force everyone to go through AIT or would people be able to opt-out and have some sort of pat-down instead?

terminal dump

In an airport with WBI, I have to think that you would have the option of either going through the WBI or receiving a standard pat-down. Bear in mind that this is a presumption on my part - HSV has never had one of the whole-body imager devices, so I don't know precisely how they're used, or how they would be used, in this particular context. It just makes the most logical sense.

In an airport without WBI, I know for a fact what happens, because I've lived through that a few times: everyone, 100% of every single person coming through, receives the standard pat-down (though at the time that it happened, everybody was screened using hand-held metal detectors, but since they're essentially gone now, it would, instead, be the SPD).

Assuming the x-ray is functional, passenger's accessible property would be screened normally. If it's not... well, full-open baggage searches for everybody.

This all happened most recently when our new checkpoint opened a year or two or three ago; something... happened... with the electrical system, and every single cotton-picking bit of energy was zapped out of the area. No WTMD, no x-ray, nothing. I think I even made a post about that day here on FT when it happened, though I'm not about to go digging through my posting history to find it.

EDIT: I still haven't gone back and looked at it, but if memory serves, that particular day I misremembered a bit just now. Thinking back on it, I think the WTMD was still functional and the x-rays were dead. I know we've had all three-- functional WTMD, no x-ray; no WTMD, functional x-ray; and no WTMD, no x-ray.

Either way, yeah, we've got contingency plans for what to do when equipment breaks down.

My bet would be that one of them would simply make up some new rules, then attempt to enforce them, probably claiming that since the WTMD is broken, all passengers must pass through the AIT.

They'd probably still try to claim that opting out of the AIT isn't allowed (but TSA employees have been lying on that topic for months, now) and threaten the "Do you want to fly today?" to anyone who refused.

The actual WTMD-failure procedure is probably claimed to be SSI, assuming such a contingency plan exists (but until "intelligence" claims that Al Qaeda is going to deliberate disrupt electrical systems in airport terminals so they can sneak "forbidden threat items" through the checkpoint, I doubt anyone's actually written any such procedure.)

Pat Down

You did. I remember it.

not so much of a "" if......

The TSA staff is aware of the broken/inop WTMD's ahead of time and have alternative "methods" in place but a definite "" if they uncover the inop WTMD's after the fact

Seems like TSA should have kept the hand-held metal detectors. Can you imagine how many staff would be needed to pat-down all pax? I see overtime for all

Passengers have always had the option to opt-out of the WTMD, it just didn't get much publicity. People with pacemakers are not supposed to go through metal detectors, and they have been (mostly) quietly opting out for years. Though I suspect they started having more problems opting-out once TSA came along.

More than once there's been a terminal dump because a WTMD was found to be broken/inop after the fact. Not so much lately, but certainly during TSA's tenure.

This was actually answered once: certification expires a certain time after a procedure was last done, so no TSO is currently certified on HHMD.

I've never been disappointed by simply assuming that the TSA will choose the dumbest/most illogical/most expensive option.