USA - TSA Scanners - A Public Health Threat, Physical or Psychological?

[Emily]

Re: USA - TSA Scanners - A Public Health Threat, Physical or Psychological?

I hope Peter King will defend the human rights of elderly Americans just as vigorously as he supported Ireland's Sinn Fein.
http://motherjones.com/politics/2011...rorism-problem

There's good news for the scanning industry. It has a dual-use in retail.
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2011/12/1...k=omni_popular

Body scanners finding plenty of creative uses in U.S.

Read more: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2011/12/1...#ixzz1gEbl5Aiz

But the article mentions a new security application, too.

He's working on an experiment that would allow authorities to use scanners to detect potential suicide bombers even before they reach an airport.
Read more: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2011/12/1...#ixzz1gEcCZ8jq

I wonder if this is related?

https://www.ncjrs.gov/App/publicatio...aspx?id=197372

NCJ Number: NCJ 197372
Title: New Eyes of the Law
Journal: Law Enforcement Technology Volume:29 Issue:10 Dated:October 2002 Pages:74, 76 to 79
Author(s): Douglas Page
Publisher Url*: http://www.law-enforcement.com
Publication Date: 10/2002
Pages: 5
Type: State-of-the-art reviews
Origin: United States
Language: English
Annotation: This article describes a radar-like system that uses electromagnetic waves to peer through clothing to detect concealed weapons from a distance of up to 50 feet.
Abstract: This new law enforcement device can be mounted on police cruisers, then driven near a crowd to scan for guns, knives, and possibly plastic explosives hidden under clothing. The new technology works by bathing a subject with millimeter waves, then detecting the radiation reflected from it using a bolometer, a device capable of detecting and measuring small amounts of radiation. This makes it a significantly more powerful detection tool than conventional passive imaging systems. It can detect all metallic objects, not just magnetic ones. It can locate weapons by shape and location, and with enough sensitivity, it can image nonmetallic objects. It also has the potential to operate at a distance. Present metal weapon detectors are considered inadequate because of their limited range. Unlike conventional metal detectors, this system doesn?t require a cooperative subject.
A prototype holographic camera that uses millimeter-wave technology has been produced by government high-technology laboratories. This could be used to conveniently and quickly obtain accurate and complete body scans. It is designed as a stationary scanner for airport use, not mobile police work. The system may someday be fully automated so that it would detect and identify a concealed object and then alert security guards to the threat. However, at this time it requires human operators to interpret the image. The focus is currently on reducing the time it takes for the system to scan a person and process the data in order to avoid bottlenecks at security checkpoints. The system also has the potential to protect against theft by identifying concealed items that people may attempt to steal from a museum, store, or nuclear facility. These new surveillance technologies add new fuel to the debate over the constitutionality of high-tech policing practices. The use of this device is covert and there is no warning of its use. The lab is aware of these concerns and is working to mitigate or eliminate them.
Main Term(s): Metal detection devices ; Technical evolution
Index Term(s): X-ray techniques ; Police equipment ; Technology ; Metal detection ; Criminal justice system policy ; Concealed weapons detection

[Emily]

Re: USA - TSA Scanners - A Public Health Threat, Physical or Psychological?

http://www.propublica.org/article/co...-body-scanners

Body Scanners
Risking Health to Secure Airports
Coffee, Tea or Cancer? Almost Half of Americans Oppose X-ray Body Scanners
by Michael Grabell
ProPublica, Dec. 7, 2011, 6:55 a.m

[Pathfinder]

Re: USA - TSA Scanners - A Public Health Threat, Physical or Psychological?

January 10, 2012 10:48 AM

TSA defends seizure of woman's cupcake

(CBS/AP)

PEABODY, Massachusetts - The federal Transportation Security Administration is defending its decision to confiscate a frosted cupcake from a woman flying from Las Vegas' airport.

The TSA says in a blog comment posted Monday that the cupcake was packed in a jar filled with icing, which is considered a gel under a policy designed to secure travelers from terrorists seeking to evade detection by using explosives made of plastics, liquids or gels.

Rebecca Hains, of Peabody, Massachusetts, was barred from taking her cupcake onto a plane last month when a TSA agent said icing in the jar exceeded amounts of gels allowed in carry-on luggage. Hains has called that "terrible logic." She claimed she had passed through Boston's Logan International Airport with two of the packaged baked goods with no problems.

More...

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57356020/tsa-defends-seizure-of-womans-cupcake/

----------------------------------------------------------

The TSA Blog

1.09.2012

<!-- Begin .post -->Cupcakegate

This will be short and “sweet.” Like many of you, when I think of a cupcake, I don’t think of it being in a jar. However, the photo below shows the “cupcake” that was prohibited from being taken into the cabin of a plane last month.

Cupcake Jar Photo Courtesy of Consumertraveler.com
<TABLE style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN-LEFT: auto; MARGIN-RIGHT: auto" class=tr-caption-container cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 align=center><TBODY><TR><TD style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"></TD></TR><TR><TD style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" class=tr-caption>


</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>I wanted to make it clear that this wasn’t your everyday, run-of-the-mill cupcake. If you’re not familiar with it, we have a policy directly related to the UK liquid bomb plot of 2006 called 3-1-1 that limits the amount of liquids, gels and aerosols you can bring in your carry-on luggage. Icing falls under the “gel” category. As you can see from the picture, unlike a thin layer of icing that resides on the top of most cupcakes, this cupcake had a thick layer of icing inside a jar.


In general, cakes and pies are allowed in carry-on luggage, however, the officer in this case used their discretion on whether or not to allow the newfangled modern take on a cupcake per 3-1-1 guidelines. They chose not to let it go.

Every officer wants to finish their shift and go home with the peace of mind that they kept potential threats off of airplanes. They’re not thinking about whether their decisions will go viral on the internet – they’re thinking about keeping bombs off of planes. This incident may seem like a silly move to many of our critics, but when we can’t be exactly sure of what something is, every officer has the discretion to not allow it on the plane. This is done purely for the safety of everyone traveling.

Here are two very real liquid related incidents from the past. This is why we have limitations on liquids, gels and aerosols.

1995 “Bojinka Plot” in Asia where Ramzi Yousef planned to use liquid explosives to bomb 12 passenger carrying aircraft bound for the United States. This was one month after his test on Philippine Airlines Flight 434 where a smaller “liquid” container killed one person.

The 2006 foiled liquid explosives plot in the U.K. This plot demonstrated a real threat and is the catalyst for TSA's liquids restrictions.

What the two plots above and intelligence gathered from all over the world tells us is that unless Wile E. Coyote is involved, the days of the three sticks of dynamite with a giant alarm clock strapped to them are long gone. Terrorists have moved to novel explosives disguised as common, everyday items. Our officers are regularly briefed and trained by TSA explosives specialists on how just about any common appliance, toy or doohickey can be turned into a dangerous explosive. When you think about it, do you think an explosive would be concealed in an ominous item that would draw attention, or something as simple as a cute cupcake jar?

The bottom line is that you can bring cakes, pies and cupcakes through the security checkpoint, but you should expect that they might get some additional screening, and if something doesn’t seem right, there is always the potential you won’t be able to take it through.

Blogger Bob Burns
TSA Blog Team

http://blog.tsa.gov/2012/01/cupcakegate.html

[Emily]

Re: USA - TSA Scanners - A Public Health Threat, Physical or Psychological?

http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2012/02/03/female-passengers-say-theyre-targeted-by-tsa/#comments

2/13/2012 update: This story has led to new legislation being introduced in the U.S. Senate. Click here for that part of the story.

Female Passengers Say They?re Targeted By TSA
February 3, 2012 8:12 AM
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Women passengers complain that TSA agents are targeting them for extra screening.

The Transportation Security Administration has a policy to randomly select people for extra screening, but some female passengers are complaining. They believe there is nothing ?random? about the way they were picked.

A Dallas woman says TSA agents repeatedly asked her to step back into a body scanning machine at DFW International Airport. ?I feel like I was totally exposed,? said Ellen Terrell, who is a wife and mother. ?They wanted a nice good look.?....

[Emily]

Re: USA - TSA Scanners - A Public Health Threat, Physical or Psychological?

73 yr-old-woman:

Man plans to file complaint over mother's treatment by TSA at Bozeman airport; TSA responds

Posted: Jun 4, 2012 5:03 PM by Adam Bell
Updated: Jun 4, 2012 5:05 PM
[snip]
"Lady proceeds to do, I'm talking a rather complete secondary pat down. They're going everywhere. I mean literally through everywhere. They're putting their hands onto her breasts, under her bra. She starts to explain to my mom that she is going to do a pat down, but this time with the palm of her hands," Anselmi said. "So about 20 minutes in this room, literally lifting her shirt up, again going with now instead of the back of her hands, now they're going with the front of their hands, feeling everywhere again. And I just figured that we just need to reach a point that this has to stop. I understand security, but this is not security."

Why Airport Security Is Going To Be a Lot More Annoying This Summer
By Jesus Diaz
Jun 4, 2012 5:40 PM
Five TSA workers have been fired and 38 more have been suspended at the Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers. It's one of the largest disciplinary actions in the 10-year history of the Transportation Security Administration, according to spokesman David Castelveter.

This is very bad news. For you....

[Emily]

Re: USA - TSA Scanners - A Public Health Threat, Physical or Psychological?

TSA scanners pose negligible risk to passengers, new (TSA) test shows

The study by the Marquette University College of Engineering concluded that radiation from so-called backscatter scanners passes beyond a passenger?s skin to reach 29 different organs ? including the heart and brain. But the radiation levels are considerably lower than those of other X-ray procedures such as mammograms, the study said.
[snip]
But Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), ranking member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, questioned the Marquette study because it was based on data provided by the TSA.

?We do not truly know the risk of this radiation exposure over multiple screenings, for frequent fliers, those in vulnerable groups, or TSA?s own employees operating the machines,? she said in a statement.

And comparing TSA scans to mammograms, a medical procedure, is disingenuous to begin with. The TSA is not licensed to practice medicine and children do not get mammograms and even middle-aged women do not get mammograms multiple times per year.

[Pathfinder]

Re: USA - TSA Scanners - A Public Health Threat, Physical or Psychological?

Confrontation With TSA Agent Leaves Grandpa's Ashes On Floor

Indianapolis Man Furious Over Treatment At Florida Airport Checkpoint

POSTED: 5:42 pm EDT June 25, 2012
UPDATED: 7:30 pm EDT June 25, 2012

...
John Gross, a resident of Indianapolis' south side, was leaving Florida with the remains of his grandfather -- Mario Mark Marcaletti, a Sicilian immigrant who worked for the Penn Central Railroad in central Indiana -- in a tightly sealed jar marked "Human Remains."

Gross said he didn't think he'd have a problem, until he ran into a TSA agent at the Orlando airport.

"They opened up my bag, and I told them, 'Please, be careful. These are my grandpa's ashes,'" Gross told RTV6's Norman Cox. "She picked up the jar. She opened it up.

"I was told later on that she had no right to even open it, that they could have used other devices, like an X-ray machine. So she opened it up. She used her finger and was sifting through it. And then she accidentally spilled it."

Gross says about a quarter to a third of the contents spilled on the floor, leaving him frantically trying to gather up as much as he could while anxious passengers waited behind him.
...

Full text:

http://www.theindychannel.com/news/31224633/detail.html

[Emily]

Re: USA - TSA Scanners - A Public Health Threat, Physical or Psychological?

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/D...173235451.html

Dying woman humiliated by revealing TSA pat-down
By Joel Moreno Published: Oct 8, 2012 at 11:13 PM PDT Last Updated: Oct 9, 2012 at 1:40 PM PDT

SEATTLE -- A dying woman says a a security pat-down at Sea-Tac Airport left her embarrassed in front of crowds of people.

Michelle Dunaj says screeners checked under bandages from recent surgeries and refused to give her a private search when she requested one.

Dunaj, who is dying of leukemia, carried a large amount of prescription drugs through Sea-Tac to head to Hawaii for what would be one of the last trips of her life.

She called Alaska Airlines ahead of time to request a wheelchair and to ask how her medicines should be separated for the security line.

"I did everything they asked me to do, so I didn't think it would be an issue," she said.

But Dunaj says nothing went right at the security checkpoint.

A machine couldn't get a reading on her saline bags, so a TSA agent forced one open, contaminating the fluid she needs to survive...

[sharon sanders]

Re: USA - TSA Scanners - A Public Health Threat, Physical or Psychological?

Finally - it appears the nudie tudie scanners are gone!!!



'Invasive' Body Scanners Will Be Removed From Airports
by LIZZY DUFFY
January 18, 2013 6:15 PM


The Transportation Security Administration will remove controversial body scanners from airport security after OSI Systems Inc. didn't update its machines' software to make scanned images of airline passengers less revealing.

"It became clear to TSA they would be unable to meet our timeline," Karen Shelton Waters the agency's assistant administrator for acquisitions told Bloomberg News. "As a result of that, we terminated the contract for the convenience of the government."

more...

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/01/18/169733300/invasive-body-scanners-will-be-removed-from-airports?ft=1&f=1001&sc=tw&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

[Pathfinder]

Re: USA - TSA Scanners - A Public Health Threat, Physical or Psychological?

Feb 19, 2013
TSA Detains 3-year-old in Wheelchair
...
The family managed to make it through the TSA checkpoint without any problems. But as they prepared to walk to their gate, a TSA agent pulled aside Lucy for additional screening measures.
...
The agent said they needed to pat down Lucy and swab her wheelchair ? even though both had already gone through the checkpoint.

Forck?s wife started filming the entire episode ? over the objections of the TSA agent.

?You can?t do touch my daughter unless I record it,? she can be heard telling the agent.

The agent replied by telling the parents ?It is illegal to do that.?

?The problem is, I don?t allow anyone to touch my little daughter,? Annie Forck said.
...
More...

http://radio.foxnews.com/toddstarnes/top-stories/tsa-detains-3-year-old-in-wheelchair.html

VIDEO:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=3oPloe08a3Q

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TSA

Statement on Screening of Family at St. Louis Airport
Thursday, February 21, 2013

Statement
"TSA regrets inaccurate guidance was provided to this family during screening and offers its apology. We are committed to maintaining the security of the traveling public and strive to treat all passengers with dignity and respect. While no pat-down was performed, we will address specific concerns with our workforce."

http://www.tsa.gov/press/news/2013/02/21/statement-screening-family-st-louis-airport

[Emily]

Re: USA - TSA Scanners - A Public Health Threat, Physical or Psychological?

250 machines removed now according to this article.

http://www.king5.com/news/national/T...210154591.html

TSA removes full-body scanners at US airports


by KING 5 News

Posted on June 4, 2013 at 3:21 PM

[Emily]

Re: USA - TSA Scanners - A Public Health Threat, Physical or Psychological?

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/06/us...anted=all&_r=0

T.S.A. Expands Duties Beyond Airport Security
By RON NIXON
Published: August 5, 2013

WASHINGTON ? As hundreds of commuters emerged from Amtrak and commuter trains at Union Station on a recent morning, an armed squad of men and women dressed in bulletproof vests made their way through the crowds.
[snip]
?The problem with T.S.A. stopping and searching people in public places outside the airport is that there are no real legal standards, or probable cause,? said Khaliah Barnes, administrative law counsel at the Electronic Privacy Information Center in Washington. ?It?s something that is easily abused because the reason that they are conducting the stops is shrouded in secrecy.?

T.S.A. officials respond that the random searches are ?special needs? or ?administrative searches? that are exempt from probable cause because they further the government?s need to prevent terrorist attacks...

[sharon sanders]

Re: USA - TSA Scanners - A Public Health Threat, Physical or Psychological?

It is becoming increasingly apparent that we live in a police state.

[Emily]

Collectively, people get the government they deserve. We see how that works out eventually. I have not flown since extremely unreasonable and demeaning searches started. That is all I can do as an individual. (I do not have to fly for business or to tend to sick family members. I understand some Americans need to do this.)

http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/loca...364320731.html Video Shows TSA Agent Pat Down 10-Year-Old Girl 'Over and Over'

By Matt Rascon