94-year-old upset by TSA pat down



RALEIGH (WTVD) -- A 94-year-old wheelchair-bound Florida woman says a search she went through at Raleigh/Durham International Airport went too far.

Marian Peterson said it happened July 6 as she went through a TSA security checkpoint before boarding a flight home.

Peterson said she was selected for extra screening. First, security officers lifted her out of her wheelchair and helped her stand in a full body scanner. Then, she was given a physical pat down.

"They took me to one side and they patted me down, and they made me stand for, with my arms out, for over 10 minutes," she said. "I was beginning to feel that I wasn't going to be able to continue to stand, I was going to fall down or something."

"I asked, I said why are you doing this, and the woman was very polite and said 'I don't know, maybe the scanner detected something or maybe she moved,'" recalled Peterson's daughter Marian Malone.

Peterson's family said it's not just the length of the search they object to, it's the way it was done.

"She said it would be in-depth. She started the putdown, and at that point, she asked mom to spread her legs. She stood there with her legs spread and she checked every place thoroughly," said Malone.

"They groped her. All of her body. Her crotch, her breasts. And everything else," said son Joe Peterson.

The Petersons said the search seemed unnecessary given Marian's obvious age...[Full Article]

Raleigh man angered by TSA security screening

NBC17

RALEIGH, N.C. --

A Raleigh man says Transportation Security Administration agents violated his rights early Sunday during a security screening at Boston Logan International Airport.

The man, who did not want to be identified, said he was traveling with a friend on their way home to Raleigh, when they were asked to go through full body scanners, which they did.

"They said, 'We're not satisfied,'" he said. The man, who is autistic, said he was then asked to remove his belt and suspenders.

The man said he requested a pat-down instead, and a friend traveling with him said she asked agents if they could do the screening another way.

"They did not put him in a private area," said the friend, Marilyn Falk. "Instead they insisted that he undress in public."

The man says when he tried to take off his suspenders and belt, his pants fell down, exposing part of his underwear.

"Happened to have my pants dropped down around a lot of people," he said.

"His privacy was not being protected," Falk said. "His rights as an individual were not being protected."

A TSA spokeswoman said anyone who requests a private screening should be given one.

"TSA's policy is to treat everybody with respect," said spokeswoman Sari Koshetz. "We train our officers to be sensitive to various types of needs and individuals."

Koshetz said if agents ask travelers to go through additional security after a full body scan, it's because they noticed something in the scan that warrants additional screening.

Koshetz added the TSA looks into all complaints.