Just in time for Halloween, we have another horror story from the TSA. This one stars a 90-year-old woman who was trying to fly out of Portland International Airport...and was forced to strip off her bra and blouse during a pre-flight screening.
Seriously>
Alan Charney told ABC affiliate KATU-TV that his mother Harriette went through the full body scanner at Portland International Airport when the alarm went off. TSA agents quickly pulled her aside.
"It was obvious they were going into a search," Charney said. "But I presumed they were just going to sort of pat her down."
Harriette's bra was the problem. She had sewn a small pocket on the bra that holds a couple of extra dollars. She says it's there just in case her wallet was lost or stolen.
The TSA's body scanner detected the pocket as a possible security risk. Seconds later, Charney says his 90-year-old mother was taken to another room where she was told to take off her clothes.
"They wanted her to take, I guess, take all of her clothes off from her waist up," says Charney, "and so she took off that and took off her bra ... and I'm like 'what??!!'"
Call me crazy, but I don't think the TSA should be making anyone, never mind an elderly woman, strip prior to boarding an airplane. Apparently the TSA agrees, as they've referred to the incident as "not normal." (Everyone: well, duh.)
The TSA has made headlines for its extremely high failure rate at catching weapons going through security. Perhaps they should focus on that rather than, you know, forcing elderly women to get naked.
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