Airport pat-downs are now more personal than ever, thanks to new, nation-wide TSA regulations.
TSA says it decided to inform local police of the new pat-down procedure Monday, in case a passenger calls to report abnormal federal frisking. However, the agency declined to say exactly where and how employees will be touching air travelers.
Screeners were previously allowed to choose from five different forms of pat-downs (each for a different degree of risk) when setting off a security alarm of refusing the electronic body scan. Now, there will only be one option ― a more invasive measure with enhanced security measures.
The new pat-downs are already in effect at most U.S. airports. They shouldn’t slow down overall security wait times, but have the potential of slowing down any passengers who receive them. As will remain the same, passengers are able to receive a private pat-down if they wish.
The change is primarily due to findings by the Department of Homeland Security revealing that airports were failing to detect handguns and other weapons.
The study showed that TSA failed upwards of 95 percent security tests, allowing undercover agents to slip past security with mock explosives and banned weapons.
We discussed these new measures on the show today. Listen to the conversation here: