TSA’s Civil Rights and Liberties Program

When something doesn’t go right at a security checkpoint, TSA wants to know about it. Getting feedback from passengers is one of the best ways we can improve the security experience for everyone and address any problems that could be occurring in the security system. 

With a workforce of more than 50,000 people all over the country, our workforce reflects the diversity of the American people we serve.  Our employees come from just about all of the ethnic and religious backgrounds as the travelers who pass through our checkpoints, and our workforce is trained regularly about religious and cultural issues that could arise during the screening process. 

   

In our mission to protect all people when they travel, our workforce is committed to treating each person with dignity and respect throughout the screening process. TSA does not profile passengers on the basis of race, ethnicity or religion. As a former field employee who wore many hats, I can say firsthand that TSA does not and has never trained or condoned racial profiling. We continually engage with a wide variety of stakeholder groups to help us understand unique passenger concerns, and we appreciate their support in sharing passenger feedback about the screening process.

We encourage any traveler who believes they have been treated differently or unlawfully discriminated against by a Transportation Security Administration employee to file a civil rights or civil liberties complaint with TSA’s Disability and Multicultural Division by going to the Office of Civil Rights and Liberties’ web page. All claims are investigated, and again, information provided to us helps us continuously improve our security system.

Blogger Bob Burns
TSA Blog Team 

If you’d like to comment on an unrelated topic you can do so in our Off Topic Comments post. You can also view our blog post archives or search our blog to find a related topic to comment in. If you have a travel related issue or question that needs an immediate answer, you can contact a Customer Support Manager at the airport you traveled, or will be traveling through by using Talk to TSA.

Screening Procedures for Hair

We’ve received questions this week about TSA’s screening procedures for hair after news reports today on this topic. As we’ve said many times before, TSA does not profile. It just doesn’t make good security sense. 

In this case, it was reported in the news that a passenger went through imaging technology and additional screening was necessary to resolve an anomaly. As is the case with all imaging technology screening, the officer viewing the image is in a separate location and cannot see the passenger being screened when determining whether he or she needs a pat-down. For example, in this image you can see for yourself there is no way to profile based on a person’s appearance. TSA has zero tolerance for profiling.

Anybody who travels through our checkpoints may undergo additional screening if necessary to resolve alarms or anomalies. This could include additional screening of clothing, headwear or hair. These are all places where dangerous items can be hidden and our policies are in place to keep the traveling public safe.

You can read more about our pat-downs here.

Blogger Bob 
TSA Blog Team 

If you’d like to comment on an unrelated topic you can do so in our Off Topic Comments post. You can also view our blog post archives or search our blog to find a related topic to comment in. If you have a travel related issue or question that needs an immediate answer, you can contact a Customer Support Manager at the airport you traveled, or will be traveling through by using Talk to TSA.