www.AmericanSecurityToday.com 2020 - Edition 47
Unfortunately, one glaringly
unpleasant – and potentially
unsafe — aspect of US air trav-
el remains unchanged: : the
U.S. Transportation Security
Administration’s (TSA)) use of
physical pat downs at security
checkpoints.
TSA says s that to date, over 1500
TSA employees are known
to have tested positive for
COVID-19.
At a time when COVID-19 re-
mains a serious public health
risk to its front-line staff and
the traveling public, the ques-
tion is: why on earth isn’t TSA
doing everything it can to significantly
reduce – if not elim-
inate – the use of physical pat
downs?
The traveling public hates
TSA pat-downs.
As a former TSA Federal Secu-
rity Director, , I can attest to the
fact that pat downs – which are
required if a passenger cannot
be screened with a body scan-
ner – are the most unpopular
aspect of aviation security for
passengers – and TSA staff.
But don’t take my word for it.
A 2019 report from the US Gov-
ernment Accountability Office
found hundreds of complaints
about pat-downs were filed by
passengers between 2015-2019.
Why?
Because they are seen as highly
intrusive and privacy-infring-
ing.
40