Should the TSA pat down kids?

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Christopher Elliott

If you haven’t seen this video yet, you should. This is six-year-old Anna Drexel getting a pat-down in New Orleans earlier this month. The TSA is taking a lot of heat for the rather thorough screening of this young lady.

Alright, maybe TSA Administrator John Pistole’s reaction was a little inappropriate, calling the screener to basically congratulate her on a job well done.

And maybe the TSA’s overall response was somewhat predictable: Defend something that, for many parents, is indefensible, and then admit that it’s wrong — although not in so many words.

Right or wrong, we are really left with one question: Is it appropriate to pat down children, who pose virtually no terrorist risk?

The Anna Drexel video looks wrong, from the perspective of this parent. So, so wrong.

But I can also see the TSA’s perspective. If you exempt children from aggressive screening, then where do you draw the line? At age 12? At 18?

Who else gets a pass? People in wheelchairs? On crutches? Passengers over 65?

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It’s a slippery slope.

So if TSA moves to a more “risk-based” system (read: profiling) then who gets profiled and who doesn’t?

It’s an important question raised by an inept federal agency, and the answer could determine how safe air travel is in the future.

What do you think?

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Christopher Elliott

Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that empowers consumers to solve their problems and helps those who can't. He's the author of numerous books on consumer advocacy and writes weekly columns for King Features Syndicate, USA Today, Forbes and the Washington Post. He also publishes Elliott Confidential, a critically acclaimed newsletter about customer service. If you have a consumer problem you can't solve, contact him directly through his advocacy website. You can also follow him on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn, or sign up for his daily newsletter. Read more of Christopher's articles here.

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