MINNEAPOLIS — Security officials at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport began using a new, high-tech body scanner at one of its checkpoints Wednesday, saying the full-image technology is a critical tool to help head off potential threats.
The full-imaging scanner — the first in Minneapolis — screens passengers for metallic and nonmetallic items, including plastic or chemical explosives and weapons that could be hidden under clothes.
Civil rights groups have expressed concern that the machines, which produce a blurry outline of a person's body, are too revealing. But security officials say they've taken steps to protect privacy.
"Passenger privacy is paramount," said Tom Connors, the Transportation Security Administration's federal security director in Minneapolis.
TSA has 224 imaging technology units at 56 airports, with plans to double that number by the end of the year. Minneapolis installed its first at Checkpoint 10, a lower-traffic spot that connects parking ramps to concourses and is used primarily by business travelers and crew. The airport expects to get more of the machines this fall...
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