TSA: We'll Change Rules About Nipple Rings

Agency Stops Short Of Apologizing After Airport Screeners Force Woman To Remove Piercings

(AP)  The Transportation Security Administration said Friday it will change the way its officers search passengers with body piercings after a Texas woman complained she was forced to remove a nipple ring with pliers in order to board an airplane.

Mandi Hamlin, 37, had demanded an apology and her Los Angeles-based attorney sent a letter to the TSA this week requesting a civil rights investigation.

Hamlin said she was trying to board a flight from Lubbock to Dallas on Feb. 24 when she was scanned by a TSA agent after passing through a larger metal detector without problems.

The female TSA agent used a handheld detector that beeped when it passed in front of Hamlin's chest, the Dallas-area resident said.

Hamlin said she told the woman she was wearing nipple piercings. The agent then called over her male colleagues, one of whom said she would have to remove the jewelry, Hamlin said.

Hamlin said she could not remove them and asked whether she could instead display her pierced breasts in private to the female agent. But several other male officers told her she could not board her flight until the jewelry was out, she said.

Hamlin was taken behind a curtain and managed to remove one bar-shaped piercing but had trouble with the second, a ring. She said the officer gave her pliers to remove the ring, a process which caused a lot of physical pain.

The TSA said in a statement on its Web site that the officers properly followed procedures, but that the procedures must change. In the future passengers can either allow a visual inspection of their piercings, or remove them, the agency said.

The statement stopped short of apologizing to Hamlin.

"TSA acknowledges that our procedures caused difficulty for the passenger involved and regrets the situation in which she found herself," the agency said in a statement. "We appreciate her raising awareness on this issue and we are changing the procedures to ensure that this does not happen again."

Hamlin's attorney said she accepted the TSA statement as an apology, and commended the agency for taking quick action.

The policy change is "an achievement for the protection of passengers' civil rights while meeting the security goals of the TSA," Allred said.

And what does Hamlin think?

"She says it's awesome," the attorney said.

[rheola-2009]

any person who could damage their body to insert pieces of metal for adornment, must surely have a distinct problem between their ears, and be very intellectually challenged.

[sevenveils]

Ever since 9-11 TSA and airline employees have treated air travelers as criminals. The only thing lacking is handcuffing the passengers to their seats.

It is past time that every air travel demands the return of human dignity and be treated as a paying customer instead of livestock in a stock yard.

[it_oldtimer]

This is so absurdly typical of this entire "War on Terror" silliness. There''s not a thimble-full of genuine common sense to any of it.

Freaking out about Bic lighters, bottles of mouthwash and nipple-rings -- but allowing uninspected, pre-sealed containers to be shipped right in the same plane''s cargo holds...brilliant!

It''s all a big, ugly, annoying circus side-show without any real substance at all. Take a car, train or a bus - anything but an airplane!

[blackbug99]

"There''''s not a thimble-full of genuine common sense to any of it." -IT_Oldtimer...You''re exactly right. What? She was going to pierce her C4 laden implant with it?

Rheola, sorry, that argument doesn''t hold water. Because you personally hold that opinion doesn''t make it bad or evil or even threatening.

Also, because these new procedures have come about rather rapidly, there''ll be mistakes. Who knows, besides this one bad nipple experience, many other pierced nipples may have gone happily on their way. The news thrives on controversy.

[inventagod]

Since the administration knows they themselves pulled off 9/11 so they could go get the oil...

They have no interest in real security on airlines.

Had the administration had a REAL interest in your security, things would be quite different today.

[jegibbons]

It does my heart good to know the TSA has more good solid common sense than the people who this ruling is likely of effect.

[erasmus6]

Why a person would pierce their nipples or anything else is beyond me, BUT I fail to see why they would make her remove them. If she was willing to show them, then that should have been enough.

The men probably figured if they couldn''t see them for themselves then they would make her take them out.:)

[melcarnahan]

Clearly the United States is a failed state. Some say it should be sold for scrap so that the scrap metal can be bolted or glued onto our unarmored Humvees.

[hypnotoad72]

Or a better idea: Goin'' to the airport? Take the stupid things out of the b00bs (or any other body part) first... Cretins!

[ranger1948]

I think TSA smells a lawsuit coming on. I agree if she showed the inspectors the rings that should have been adequate. I think they went to far and now will pay a price for it.

[andor3]

TSA had a simple choice and Ms. Hamlin made it clear: apologize or pay (through a lawsuit). That is reasonable, and someone at TSA should apologize. With a lawsuit at least someone may get fired for their mistake and it will not happen again.

[johnshaft4]

Whoa! Not so fast TSA...How can we be certain that her breasts contained silicone instead of C-4? The nipple rings could have been pull rings (like for a grenade). Good work, people! I sleep much better at night with the knowledge of the degree of competency in TSA/Homeland Security.

[antizion]

Do you suppose it is because they plan to x-ray you and a nipple ring is a current loop that would burn the nipple once it absorbed the radiation?

[antizion]

Better to get rid of the boobs at "homeland security". Didn''t Hitler coin that phrase?

http://www.tarpley.net/bush2.htm

[johnshaft4]

We have had the "shoe bomber", Now, we must worry about breast bombers. It is now my patriotic duty to recommend that ALL women undergo thorough, invasive body cavity searches prior to boarding any flight.

[sistatee-2009]

They''ll be sorry when someone uses a nipple ring to hijack an airplane.

[fibonacci_]

That woman with the nipple rings is so hot.

[nocatnowaco]

gce65;
she will need to carry a concealed jewelry permit !!!

[nocatnowaco]

The tattoo and piercing parlors will have the non metallic ones coming soon !!!

[cattlekate]

Anyone know if she CAN sue the TSA? I think they are immune.

[bobnjersey]

sounds like it''s time to review all the rules ... leave the ones that relate to real security ... remove the ones that are just covering your @ss!

[melv1n-2009]

My nipples told me that they are pleased to hear this news, but asked that I not pierce them...

[hypnotoad72]

Okay, so nipple rings will be excused. How about the even more cretinous who think piercing their gen!talia is a brilliant thing to do?

I''ll get the popcorn, you get the soda...

[fibonacci_]

hypnotoad72, looooooooool! Didnt even think of that. Uh, I am sorry ma''am, you will have to take your labial rings out.

[fibonacci_]

I am convinced that terrorists are going to start hiding things in bodily cavities - I mean, why not? Smugglers do it all the time.

[martin9p2]

If a breast sets off the detector with no *visible* sign of explosive device, will the TSA be allowed "manual palpation" to rule out that a brest implant doesn''t also have a detonator?

[martin9p2]

Now the TSA will need special training to recognize a high-explosive *** ornament or a bomb detonator disguised as a "*** ring".

[erasmus6]

nutsie11

The next time you go into the hospital maybe they can give you a brain transplant while you are there.

[kaylag04]

This is the future with Republicrats and Demopublicans increasing the scope of Government "service" and intrusion. This is FEMA, Homeland Security, Social Security, Medicare. etc. - and this WILL be - National Health Care, Bailouts of "foreclosed home-buyers", and increasing federal influence in education. Government is not the answer unless you want inept "one size fits all" bureacracy in every transaction and service.

[lawyertom1]

I think body piercing is really stupid. It opens up the skin to major infections, as several doctor friends of mine have pointed out based on patients they have seen in their practice. However, TSA was really, really stupid. Where was the supervisor? Where was the sanity of these people?

[caliengineer]

To all the people who mocked this woman in response to the article last week: The power is in the people. WE can change what we want.

Real power is measured by the number of able bodied persons willing to fight. This woman made herself count.

Do YOU count?

[carlylaine]

LawyerTom1:

It doesn''t matter about infections; nothing matters at all....this woman has every right to wear whatever, even if she had a nipple ring that ended up wrapping around her head-it''s her CHOICE SEE? I fail to understand why anyone has an opinion of how a another person ''should'' live. We all have choices. Who cares if you don''t like it? Butt out control freaks!

[extremophil]

*** it. Just when I was hoping to get hired as a nipple inspector.

I%u2019ve said it before, and I%u2019ll say it again, TSA has a mixed problem. On one hand, we have government employees that have messed up in the past and have allowed things to slip though that shouldn%u2019t have, and the public complained very loudly, to the point of demanding that the TSA worker be fired. Now the guy follows the rules and you want them to be fired. How about making up your minds.

I%u2019d bet that if you were able to read the rules that TSA workers labor under you%u2019d find quite a few %u201Cor else%u201D rules and these will wipe out most of the common sense abilities afforded most of us, because rules are created for the dumbest of us. Yes, rules like this one needs to be reviewed and modified.

What I cannot abide by is the callousness of the male TSA screener to snicker about this within her hearing (this was in another news story). I have worked in retail for a decade, and I know that some things customers come up with are%u2026..entertaining. That doesn%u2019t mean you belittle them. Also, come on, pliers to work on a body? Now that%u2019s real sterile.

[hungryfreak0]

Women hi-jacks plane with nipple ring....LOL! You have got to be the biggest morons on earth. Ever!

I don''t think I wait for the tickets or passport...
Does anyone know how I can get deported?

AHHHHHHHHHH get me out of US and A!!!!!!

[melv1n-2009]

A pair of nipples held me hostage once...mmmm..to back in college again...

[ianlou]

We must be vigilant!!!
Those nipple rings could be pull-pins for squishy plastic explosive implants!!!

I think the new TSA policy should be that agents must give each ring a good yank to ensure they''re safe for the flying public.

[ianlou]

Question: If she didn''t want people inspecting her nipples, why did she pierce them with jewelry?

We are becoming nothing but a "Lookit-Me, Lookit-Me" society.

Jerry Springer''s job is secure.

The woman had choices! She could have exercised her right not to be harrassed in boarding an airplane. She could have said , "No, I''m going to stay over in Lubbock instead." Yeah, like "that''ll be the day."

[anopinion1]

Do you suppose it is because they plan to x-ray you and a nipple ring is a current loop that would burn the nipple once it absorbed the radiation?

Posted by AntiZion at 11:15 PM : Mar 29, 2008

hahaha no it will not heat up. Please think or do some research before you try to make conversation.

[noregion5]

If you see the visual and indeed it is a piercing, no threat of a her being a potential terrorist, why the removal deemed proceedure? This world has gone mad, madly in need of power pushing civil right impeedant freaks! The attorney probably got off also, for profitting from this type of procedure crud! It is so nice to live in a free country!

[noregion5]

Anyone question why her peircing was done, get over it, she didn''t have them exposed and we are supposed to be living in a free society, not a society in "up to your standards" of living. It falls under freedom of speech and expresion.