Regardless of their political leanings, travelers continue to pursue cheap fares, cheap vacation packages, and discount hotel rooms. However, when it comes to investigating of number of bizarre incidents of alleged abuse of passengers by airport screeners, the Republicans are taking the lead.
Republicans want copies of all passenger complaints received by the TSA (Transportation Security Administration) since 1/20/09, as well as records regarding how TSA and Homeland Security dealt with those complaints. Records of TSAs procedures for screening passengers with disabilities have also been requested.
The following are some of the more flagrant TSA screening incidents:
Last year at the Philadelphia International Airport a developmentally disabled four year old boy set off the security metal detector because of metal braces he was wearing on his legs. Instead of taking the boy to a different area for extra screening, the screeners demanded that the parents remove the boys braces, stand aside, and then insisted that the boy stagger through the metal detector on his own.
When the boys father complained to a TSA supervisor about his sons treatment he was told to drop it. The TSA later apologized to the boy after the Philadelphia Inquirer ran a story about what had happened.
In January of this year a TSA officer planted a bag of white powder in a college students carry-on bag at the Philadelphia airport and then challenged the student as to why she was carrying this powder.
Also in January of 10 a man, posing as a U.S. marshal allegedly escorted a woman that he had kidnapped through a TSA security checkpoint at the San Diego International Airport. The man wore a U.S. Federal Agent T shirt and showed a fake police badge. The man was later arrested on suspicion of kidnapping and impersonating a peace officer.
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