The TSA pat-down of a young boy at the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport Sunday has a mother "livid". Now, the incident, which was caught on camera, is sparking debate as to whether the inspection crossed the line.
The video was posted by the boy’s mother, Jennifer Williamson. She says her son Aaron was treated terribly and detained for more than an hour.
She asked TSA agents to screen Aaron in "other ways" because he has a sensory processing disorder that makes him very sensitive to touch. The mom says her son set off no alarms at the security line and called those involved in the pat down “power tripping TSA agents.”
TSA issued the following statement to Dallas ABC-affiliate WFAA-TV regarding the incident:
TSA allows for a pat-down of a teenage passenger, and in this case, all approved procedures were followed to resolve an alarm of the passenger’s laptop.
The video shows a male TSA officer explaining the procedure to the passenger, who fully cooperates. Afterward, the TSA officer was instructed by his supervisor, who was observing, to complete the final step of the screening process.
In total, the pat-down took approximately two minutes, and was observed by the mother and two police officers who were called to mitigate the concerns of the mother.
The passengers were at the checkpoint for approximately 45 minutes, which included the time it took to discuss screening procedures with the mother and to screen three carry-on items that required further inspection.
So how much is too much? Was TSA simply following instructions? Is this justified? Or is this an insensitive demonstration of "power tripping" airport officials taking advantage of a young boy with special needs?