The U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) defended the actions of its agents yesterday, saying they were only following procedure when they insisted on doing a patdown on a traumatized 4-year old girl. I hope the family finds a way to sue the TSA for all of the psychological counseling this little girl is going to need in the future.
The girl, Isabella Brademeyer, had already successfully passed through the security checkpoint at the Wichita, Kansas airport. But then she went over to hug her grandmother — her grandmother — who was still being processed by the TSA. The TSA pulled the grandmother, Lori Croft, out for a pat-down because she apparently set off the metal detector.
But c’mon… the little girl? She’s 4. She didn’t know any better.
That set off a flurry of activity among the TSA agents, who then insisted that the 4-year old also needed to undergo a patdown. Again… because she hugged her grandmother.
This demonstrates that the TSA is, at least at some airports, lost all touch with reality and common sense. There’s a time for procedure, and there’s a time to allow some common sense to enter into your thinking. That’s why the TSA employs human beings — not automatons. To think. To use their experience and their common sense to understand that just because a 4-year old child hugs her grandmother, that’s not a justification for an additional pat-down.
We have to remember, even though most Americans have a healthy fear of the TSA — the TSA works for us. When the TSA abuses its authority in this sort of manner, it’s up to the American people to call for action.
Sadly, the TSA is apparently deaf when it comes to listening to the concerns the family raised at the checkpoint:
But she said the family’s main concern was the lack of understanding from TSA agents that they were dealing with a 4-year-old child, not a terror suspect.
“There was no common sense and there was no compassion,” Croft said. “That was our biggest fault with the whole thing — not that they are following security procedures, because I understand that they have to do that.” […]
Croft said Brademeyer tried to no avail to get TSA agents to use a wand on the frightened girl or allow her to walk through the metal detector again. She also said TSA agents wanted to screen her granddaughter alone in a separate room.
The TSA’s response? F*** compassion and common sense, we have our procedures to follow:
The TSA released a statement Tuesday saying it explained to the family why additional security procedures were necessary and that agents didn’t suspect or suggest the child was carrying a firearm.
“TSA has reviewed the incident and determined that our officers followed proper screening procedures in conducting a modified pat-down on the child,” the agency said.
Of course they did. If the question was, “Did the TSA follow its procedures in this incident,” the answer is always going to be, “Yes, we did.”
But that wasn’t the question. The question asked was, “Are these TSA procedures appropriate for children of all ages? Does the TSA allow their human being agents to use their experience, judgment and good common sense to override the procedure in cases where any objective observer would agree it would be appropriate to do so?”
The TSA doesn’t answer those questions because the answer is obviously, “No, the TSA does not allow TSA agents to substitute their good judgment and common sense for the procedures.”
Psychological Trauma Induced by the TSA Procedures, Agents
The problem is, when you set up an unbreakable set of procedures like this that nobody can question or substitute their own good judgment for, you’ve also set yourself up for abuses of common sense such as this.
And, just for good measure, you’ve ensured at least one 4-year old child is going to spend the next few weeks re-living the trauma your agents helped not only induce, but kept fanning:
“She was kicking and screaming and fighting and in hysterics,” Croft said. “At that point my daughter ran up to her against TSA’s orders because she said, ‘My daughter is terrified, I can’t leave her.'” […]
Croft said that for the first few nights after coming home, Isabelle had nightmares and talked about kidnappers. She said TSA agents had shouted at the girl, telling her to calm down and saying the suspect wasn’t cooperating.
“To a 4-year-old’s perspective that’s what it was to her because they didn’t explain anything and she did not know what was going on,” Croft said. “She saw people grabbing at her and raising their voices. To her, someone was trying to kidnap her or harm her in some way.”
The TSA should apologize for the way their agents acted in this incident, and reprimand the agents responsible. There is no excuse for putting a 4-year old child through the psychological trauma these agents put the girl through. None.
Young children who experience events such as this often have nightmares for days, and sometimes even weeks on end. Because there apparently was no TSA agent trained in child development or management issues, nobody apparently understood this was a child who was scared to death of the agents. The TSA agents apparently, instead, shouted at an emotionally-upset child to “calm down” — a strategy any parent knows is unlikely to be effective or helpful.
There has never been a single documented case of a 4-year old being involved in any terrorist activity, anywhere, much less on United States soil. There was zero likelihood or probability this child had any connection to anything linked to terrorism. Zero. Every agent there knew that.
The only reason the agents acted the way they did was because TSA procedures demanded they do it. The TSA apparently does not allow its agents to use their own judgment or common sense to countermand procedure. History is littered with cautionary tales on why is is never a good thing to put procedure above all else. Even the TSA manager who eventually came to the gate to help with the situation wasn’t empowered to do much about the procedure — he still had to insist the 4-year old be patted down. (I imagined he explained his actions, “Dem’s the rules, ma’am. Keeping us all safe from space aliens and 4-year old potential terrorists.”)
Despite the TSA’s faulty thinking, airports are not a police state where you must follow authority no matter what. I call on the TSA to allow their agents to use their own good judgment and common sense in future incidents like this involving young children. There’s no excuse for the TSA to act like its child citizens are putting anyone at risk when flying.
Read the Associated Press article on the incident: TSA defends pat-down of 4-year-old at Kan. airport
12 comments
The police state that this country has turned in to is frightening more people than any threat of terrorism ever has. I cannot imagine the horror of seeing this done to my child, attempting to get to her side and being stopped! The TSA is an out of control agency, working for a just as out of control government. I hope the parents file a lawsuit. Even if they do not win, it will bring awareness to this problem and cost the TSA some time, money and hassle. I am sharing this to my Facebook page!
And you wonder why people are freaking out in airports and planes these days. As I said at an earlier post about this issue, when people are treated as criminals and suspects, who can maintain discipline and control when our alleged leaders who run these sideshows called security just dismiss these incidents as the price of safety.
It is only going to get uglier and violent if sanity and appropriateness does not return to airport security. Sorry, I really do not care if I offend in calling for profiling. 4 year olds and 75 year olds are not the prime suspects for terrorism in the US. If middle aged white men were committing serious crimes and I went to these areas where they were occurring, I would be ready to be scrutinized.
I guess the TSA has to wait for that defining moment of serious ramifications for changes in security. Stay tuned to YouTube for the moment, you’ll be cringing and grimacing when it happens.
But, it won’t be TSA staff showing such reaction, will it?
I strongly disagree with your opinion. These security measures are necessary, because there are definite grey zones. If the child had been 5 years old, would the pat down be acceptable to you? 6 years old? 7? 8? Where’s the cut off? And what’s the age that a child could be trained to quickly take something from her grandma during the hug? I sleep much better at night knowing security measure are so strict. The human touch from security personnel is what has allowed terrorist attacks in the past. Humans can make a mistake. Although 75 year olds and 4 year old are not prime suspects, they could still be given weapons to smuggle aboard. If you think otherwise, why not let them skip the security measures altogether? It is much safer for the little girl (whose parents should have taught her to walk through the metal detector and wait patiently at the other end, not to double back to hug her grandma) to have a few nightmares, then for the risk of something happening to all of the passengers.
I completely agree with you. I feel like the parents deserve some of the blame. They should have taught their daughter that the security guards are there to make sure everyone is safe and they are only trying to protect you. She should have also been taught not to run back to security after passing through. These are all things that you can reasonably teach a 4 year old.
Honestly, it would have shocked me if the TSA didn’t do anything about it. Speaking of common sense, the parents should have realized how sketchy it looked for a girl to run to her grandmother and hug her after the metal detector went off. What if a woman set off the metal detector and it was a 22 year old man that came back, hugged the person, and left? Wouldn’t you want both of them to be checked out to make sure something didn’t happen? I definitely would
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Look, it’s a slippery slope when you assume that any of your citizens is, by their purchase of an airplane ticket, automatically a suspected terrorist. Yet that’s how every citizen is treated when going through security these days.
There has been zero incidents of terrorism involving such young children (4, 5, 6 — you name it). Does that mean it couldn’t happen and we should guard against it nonetheless?
Not in a reasonable world or society. We can’t guard against ALL POSSIBLE acts of terrorism, because that’s a recipe for a ridiculous, police-state society. I live in America, not a police-state. So I would appreciate it if those professionals we’ve placed in these positions of power over us would respect us, respect our dignity, and most of all, respect common sense.
Common sense says a 4 year old hugging her grandmother isn’t a terrorist threat. I’ll happily eat my words if that ever changes, but it hasn’t happened in 2,000 years so far. I — and I suspect most Americans — don’t want people guarding against a threat that is 1,000 times less likely than being struck by lightning.
Highly-recommended reading:
http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2011/12/tsa-insanity-201112
Remember all this when a terrorist team of a child and adult (regardless of child acknowledgement) pass a bomb through security because someone thought they were better than the rules. I read a report about a TSA agent who put sugar as cocaine in disguise into the bags of a few passengers and then confronted them, it was a joke right? Shouldn’t these civilians use proper judgement and knowingly submit their bags because they Know they’ve taken no cocaine to the airport. Perhaps they could have been more calm and understanding of the situation, but if public safety is at stake then by all means stick to procedure. I’d rather have a little girl scared for a week then set flowers on her grave because of lax security, and emotional distress, she’s four if she isn’t afraid of monsters in the closet than a TSA agent can’t be that bad.
Wow…what nerve does this family have giving hell to the people doing thier jobs!!
how is it that when someone does something they are supposed to do, and expected to do, but you dont like, the first thing people do is Sue?
They are SECURITY! they are supposed to be there for our safety.
They are trained by professionals and expected to be professional in thier job. They saw a potential threat and acted on it. If the tables were turned and the family was evil and decided to use the oportunity to smuggle drugs, or god forbid, a small bomb on the kid (its been done before). Then people would be screaming “why didnt the guards do anything about it”
What has this world come too when you get in trouble for doing your job properly and well?
And for those of you who say “use your common sense” Just because you think something like using a kid to smuggle is unheard of or that all grandma’s are wholesome doesnt mean it doesnt happen. These people are again, paid, to protect the whole, not the single.
Get over yourself and the better than thou attitude. In the same situation, knowing what is at stake (they see ALOT more than you, and get trained for more) you would do the same thing!
Good job protecting not only your country, but everywhere airlines fly!
Thank you TSA Agents!
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I’m happy to be proven wrong. Name me one documented incident where a child younger than 10 years old was used to smuggle an explosive device or weapon onto a plane. Anywhere.
And had TSA not insisted on a pat down and it was planned for the kid to go back and hug the grandmother and something happened to that plane I’m sure everyone would say how useless TSA is and how they aren’t doing their job. Everyone wants to complain when people like TSA and Police do there jobs and then complain when they don’t you can’t have it both ways. Either the rules apply to EVERYBODY or they apply to nobody. You can’t have it both ways.
Sounds to me like TSA hires child molesters. It might be an absurd conclusion, but given these rules and regulations it seems they can be easily manipulated to get children alone… Which was pointed out in the article and then the agent is defended, I wonder if TSA is able to hire people convicted of Megan’s law, or what kind of background checks they do. It seems very strange that a thinking person would want to follow procedures thoroughly to a point of separating a child from the family to pat her down. There’s better ways to make sure grandma didn’t plant something on the girl, which the article pointed out..
It always is fascinating when people are so outspoken in defending what really is indefensible behavior, until, it happens to said defenders. I’m with Dr Grohol here, god forbid terrorists recruit young children to do their bidding and promote it as acceptable. Should that terrible day happen, watch those terrorist groups be dragged out into the street and stoned/beaten to death by their own society they allege to protect.
Face it, al Quaeda is loving these moments getting media coverage. Commit an act of terrorism and then watch your enemies eat themselves. Sort of like the Twilight Zone episode “Monsters on Elm Street”?
The fact that I am afraid to complain about this subject, whether in public or in writing, is a clear indication of how out-of-hand this has gotten.I found your site, because I was singled out over the weekend, flying West. It was in public, and a woman slid her hands into my undergarments.I woke up screaming on the first night of my much-needed “vacation.” My vacation was ruined.I’d like to file a complaint, but am intimidated. I will never fly again.The lines reminded me of a Holocaust that I wasn’t even part of. SS female officers, shouting, violation, intimidation, and the severe need to keep my head down for fear of bringing attention to myself.This is how the Holocaust started.The airlines will suffer along with the American people who simply want to visit their families or take a vacation.I have also searched to see if TSA agents are screened for psychological problems. I am not convinced that they are, after being accosted twice on my vacation this weekend.Never flying again.