TSA child pat-down video spurs new legislation

In the wake of controversy over video of a six-year-old girl receiving an intense pat-down while passing through airport security, a Tea Party-linked Republican is introducing legislation to prohibit pat-down searches of minors without the consent and presence of a parent.

Rep. Jason Chaffetz of Utah introduced the bill on Wednesday and sent a letter to Transportation Security Administration (TSA) chief John Pistole calling the incident a "shocking violation" of TSA protocol.

"I am personally outraged and disgusted by yet another example of mistreatment of an innocent American at the hands of TSA," Chaffetz wrote. "This conduct is in clear violation of TSA's explicit policy not to conduct thorough pat-downs on children under the age of 13."

The video in question shows a female TSA agent patting down the young girl at New Orleans' Louis Armstrong International Airport security on April 5. The girl's mother asks, "Can't you just re-scan her?" to which the agent replies, "No." The agent explains all of her actions to the girl and her mother as she pats down the girl and appears to conduct the pat-down in a professional manner. Still, civil rights advocates say the pat-down was unnecessary.

"A child who is visibly, audibly complaining, 'I don't want to do this,' should at the very least be given some privacy," Marjorie Esman, executive director of the ACLU Louisiana, told CBS affiliate WWL New Orleans.

As head of the subpanel on national security in the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Chaffetz held a hearing last month on TSA policies and alleged misconduct. Last year, Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Darrell Issa complained to Pistole about the 2009 screening of a four-year-old disabled boy, who was forced to go through a metal detector with neither his leg braces, nor his father's assistance.

Chaffetz said he blames such incidents on a failure of TSA leadership to address the problem.

"The agency must get serious about the manner in which it seeks to balance national security with personal privacy," he said. "At the very least, it cannot continue to operate under the belief that little girls and handicapped children pose such a serious threat that [transportation screening officers] must abandon all manner of decency when interacting with them."

With respect to the latest incident with the six-year-old girl, the TSA said in a statement that the agent followed proper screening procedures. The statement added that the agency is "exploring additional ways to focus its resources and move beyond a one-size fits all system while maintaining a high level of security" and "has been actively reviewing its screening policies and procedures to streamline and improve the screening experience for low-risk populations, such as younger passengers."

On CBS' "The Early Show" Wednesday, CBS News national security correspondent Bob Orr said this kind of incident is "part of the post-9/11 security."

"You can't take kids out of the mix," he said. "The exemption would point terrorists to a gaping hole in our security. It's not a theoretical threat. Terrorists have proven they can smuggle explosives aboard planes... The bottom line is al Qaeda is savvy, study our security system and practices, and it's not beyond al Qaeda to use kids."

[beachandlove]

Those who seriously think targeting small children, handicapped people, and the elderly are the way to ensure our safety as Americans are delusional. The TSA has not ONCE been successful in its job of stopping terrorists. In fact, the easiest way for a terrorist to get through security would be to dress up as a Muslim... it'd be too un-PC to question or pat such a person down.

[avit1970]

A better way is to do what the Israelis are doing:

asking questions, profiling, searching the enemy - not attacking at random.

Neither is politically correct .

Can a 6 year old Muslim can pose a danger ?

we should be asking the Parents some questions before doing such a search to the child.

Or maybe if this was a Muslim girl - they would not dare do this to her because this is so non-PC ?

[endurorob_5]

Interesting. A tea party memebr and the ACLU sharing the same view.

[jsf14]

Fill in the blanks with numbers: It is worth molesting ___ children to save ____ lives.

[endurorob_5]

That is just an ignorant comment.

[meleona]

Fill in the blank with numbers, starting at 1: It is worth sacrificing___morons like you to save ANY child from molestation.

[RickChicago1]

This is just another case of the Regime pushing policies that attack the people who make America move forward (The 56% that are producers and pay income taxes.) Obama's EVERY move (ignore the speeches) is to downplay their achievements and contributions. Instead ALL of his ACTIONS take from the Producers and redistribute more and more to the 44% that do not pay income tax.

This is his intent when he said that he would radically transform America. He is a Socialist at best and a Marxist by birth. He was raised by 2 members of the Communist Party. First was Barack Sr.
When Sr. abandoned him and Jrs mother "Stanley" (Thats his moms first aname)

Obama was "mentored" (his words) by the second Communist Frank Marshall Davis from the age of ten until Obama went to College. This man Davis was such a radical that EVEN the local NAACP branch refused him membership because he was a FAR LEFT Radical who was a card carrying member of the Communist Party. The NAACP felt that Davis would scare away potential members for the NAACP. Davis was also a self confessed pedophile,alcoholic and a misogynist. Wonder role model!!

With this type of upbringing by 2 Marxists can anyone believe that he is a Capitalist???? He is not and sincerely believes in Global Redistribution of Wealth.

Either we stop him or America is finished!!

[vissionquest]

I have no problem stopping idiotic beuicrats doing dumb things, but I am really tired of a government only addressing one little problem at a time and not looking it the entire situation. When some one's grandma is searched they will introduce another bill to protect litle old ladies, and when a deaf person is searched, another bill. Would it be outrageous to expect that our leaders examine the entire issue and make a reasonable attempt to create a real direction for the traveling public.

[brnfream]

Why bother with this airport stuff when our borders are wide open for people to come on in. This whole admistration is a joke. 2012 can't come soon enough.

[gksracer24]

wat this is so wrong. TSA is such an ass. y would you do a drug test on a little girl. wat you think that she is on crack or dope? seriously we need to just get electronic body scanners and the drug tests should be eliminated. TSA lighten up, shes 6; she wont be the next terrorist. look for fricken people who look older then 16.

[gangesdak]

Tea party people ran out of ideas. No wonder their darling candidate lost big in Delaware.

[alwaysademocraticvote2012]

if the suspect frisked at the airport wasn't a scumsucking teabagger than the frisk would never have taken place.

it's only the scumsucking teabaggers that need to be frisked at the airport. everyone else is normal.

[voxpopulus]

Well I am kind of amused this woman did not want her kid patted down and then WAS willing to stick the poor kid's face all over YouTube (something many adults won't do because of the feat of pervs out there). It does look like a deliberate activist stunt.

[Broseidon]

Are you serious? That's a LITTLE GIRL being groped.