I’ve changed enough diapers to know a thing or two about “poop bombs,” but something really stinks about the attention this photo is getting. The photo – taken by someone not traveling with the family – has gone viral. The caption used with the photo is “TSA Looking for Poop Bombs?” We reviewed the screening of this family, and found that the child’s stroller alarmed during explosives screening. Our officers followed proper current screening procedures by screening the family after the alarm, who by the way were very cooperative and were on the way to their gate in no time. The child in the photo was simply receiving a modified pat-down which doesn’t even come close to what the headline implies.
I blogged about a similar situation recently, and just as I stated in that post, our Administrator is looking into ways to move past the cookie cutter approach to screening. Recognizing that terrorists are willing to manipulate societal norms to evade detection, TSA has been actively assessing less invasive screening methods for low-risk populations, such as younger passengers, while still maintaining a high level of security.
Blogger Bob
TSA Blog Team
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