TSA Apologizes to Granny Who Claims She Was Strip-Searched

Scott Olson/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- The Transportation Security Administration says it has apologized to an 85-year-old New York woman for her “unpleasant screening experience,” but denies her claim that she was strip-searched.

The incident began when Lenore Zimmerman went to New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport last Tuesday to catch a JetBlue flight to Fort Lauderdale.  Zimmerman uses a walker and avoids the screening machines because of her pacemaker. She requested a pat down for that reason, and instead she says she was taken to a private room and was shocked when she was asked to take off her pants and other clothes.

The TSA issued a statement saying, “Private screening was requested by the passenger.  It was granted and lasted approximately 11 minutes.”

On Sunday, the TSA issued a second statement saying it, “contacted the passenger to apologize that she feels she had an unpleasant screening experience, however, TSA does not include strip searches in its protocols and a strip search did not occur in this case."

Reached at her winter home in Florida, Zimmerman reacted to the TSA response by telling the New York Daily News, “I say they’re lying.  They’re doing it to protect their butts."

The grandma says she really doesn’t remember if the TSA called to apologize, saying she’s been so upset she’s been taking sleeping pills.

When asked if she accepts the TSA apology, Zimmerman told the Daily News, “Yes, I may sue them anyway because it was a very traumatic experience.”

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Traveling This Holiday Season? TSA Offers Tips for an Easier, Safer Trip

Digital Vision/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) -- With the holiday season about to kick into full gear, millions of people will soon be flocking to airports, which can lead to a rather hectic experience for travelers.

John Pistole, the administrator of the Travel Security Administration (TSA) is offering passengers tips that will hopefully make their travels a lot easier and safer for the holidays.

“Obviously we’re expecting a large number of people traveling over the holiday season, [with] Thanksgiving coming up, we’re expecting perhaps as many as 3 percent more people traveling than last year,” he said.

People traveling this year can anticipate a few changes while going through security lines, especially while traveling with children.

“Children 12 and under will be allowed to keep their shoes on generally, we’ll still do random and unpredictable [checks] in case there’s something suspicious, but that addresses a lot of the hassle factor if you will, the inconvenience especially with small children if they have tie shoes and things like that,” Pistole said.

The other change is the “privacy filters,” which are simply the generic outline of a person going through the imaging machine.  Currently, the TSA has the privacy software upgrades on the Millimeterwave technology, which is used in more than half of the estimated 500 Advanced Imaging Technology (AIT) machines in place at airports.  TSA officials say they will begin testing the privacy software on AIT Backscatter systems later this year.

Privacy however, still remains a concern for many passengers dealing with security at airports.  TSA is working on better technology so passengers can keep their shoes and jackets on, and that showing “too much” in these body imaging machines will one day no longer be an issue.

Already, the TSA Pre-Check “Trusted Traveler” Program is currently being implemented in four airports.  Passengers who have voluntarily given out their information in Detroit, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Miami, and Atlanta airports no longer have to take off their shoes, jackets and belts.

“The more we know about people who are traveling, the better judgments and decisions we can make,” Pistole said.

And if you're traveling with gifts, leave the expensive gift wrap at home.

“There’s not too many ways of resolving [it] other than opening up the package, so for example last weekend, we found two Christmas packages, wrapped packages, one had probably 50 pounds of marijuana in it,” Pistole said.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

TSA: Over 1,000 Guns Confiscated by Airport Security This Year

Matthew Peyton/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- Transportation Security Administration officers have confiscated more than 1,000 guns that were discovered by security personnel as passengers traveled through airport security screenings so far this year, the head of the TSA said.

“More than 10 years after the Sept. 11 attacks, people are still trying to bring deadly weapons into the cabin of an airplane,” TSA administrator John Pistole said at George Washington University’s Homeland Security Policy Institute.

“On Tuesday, just two days ago, we detected nine guns passengers had in their carry-on bags at various checkpoints around the country.” Pistole said.

Pistole showed several slides of drugs and weapons that passengers were attempting to bring or smuggle onboard aircraft.

One slide showed a veritable arsenal allegedly taken from a man arrested at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport after, officials said, TSA officers discovered two handguns, three ammunition clips and eight knives in his bag last month.

According to one DHS official, the man claimed he forgot the weapons were in his bags.

“We have seen a slight increase in guns being brought to the checkpoint over the past few months,” said a TSA official.  “We don’t keep stats on why passengers bring prohibited items to airports but, anecdotally, passengers typically say they forgot it was in their bag.”

In his speech, Pistole also hailed the use of the controversial advanced imaging technology, which some people call the “body scanners” deployed at airports.

“We continue to see the efficacy of advanced imaging technology,” he said. “While there is no silver bullet technology, this technology gives our officers the best opportunity to detect both metallic and non-metallic threats, including improvised explosive devices such as the device [accused underwear bomber] Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab attempted to detonate on Christmas Day 2009.”

Pistole showed the audience a picture of a man who was attempting to smuggle 700 grams of cocaine by wrapping ace bandages around his legs. Pistole said the AIT machine had alerted screeners to an anomaly in the ankle area.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

TSA Sex Advice? Woman Finds 'Freaky' Note In Luggage

Medioimages/Photodisc(NEW YORK) -- Frequent travelers may be used to finding an official note from the Transportation Security Administration alerting them that their checked bags have been searched, but rarely does the TSA take the opportunity to get a little more -- or a lot more -- personal with travelers.

But that's what one blogger said a TSA officer did based on an unusual note she found in her luggage Monday. Jill Filipovic, a blogger at Feministe.us, tweeted a picture of the TSA notification on which, alongside the official form, someone had scrawled "GET YOUR FREAK ON GIRL" in big capital letters.

"Just unpacked my suitcase and found this note from TSA," Filipovic tweeted. "Guess they discovered a 'personal item' in my bag. Wow."

Attempting to discreetly explain the "personal item" on Feministe, Filipovic wrote it was "the most basic lady-thing you can imagine."

Filipovic had traveled from Newark, New Jersey, to Dublin, Ireland, over the weekend and had just Monday morning opened her luggage. She said that except for when the bag was checked -- from the time she packed to the time she unpacked -- she had been with the bag, meaning it was unlikely an elaborate practical prank by a friend. She said the fact that the note was left on the TSA notice led her to believe a TSA officer had written it.

A spokesperson for the TSA said that they are "one of several entities" that handle checked bags and that at this time there is "no concrete evidence who wrote the note."

Still, the TSA said that "if inappropriate conduct is discovered, TSA [will take] appropriate disciplinary action."

Initially, Filipovic wrote on her blog that the note was "total violation of privacy, wildly inappropriate and clearly not OK, but I also just died laughing in my hotel room."

But upon further reflection, Filipovic told ABC News she believed it to be "offensive" and said she'd likely be filing a complaint with the TSA once she returns to the U.S.

"I hope they do see the complaint, they'll look into it and remind their staff that going through people's personal belongings is a responsibility that should be treated with some modicum of professionalism," Filipovic said.

The TSA said it opens checked bags for hand inspections if any alarms are sounded during the screening process and the TSA inserts the inspection card after the search.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

9/11 Flights of Fancy Lead to Moments of Fear

Digital Vision/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) -- Fighter planes were scrambled, bomb squads were called, FBI command centers went on alert and police teams raced to airports Sunday, but in the end two separate airline incidents were caused by apparently innocent bathroom breaks and a little "making out," federal officials said.

In the first incident, a pair of fighter jets were scrambled to escort an American Airlines jet into New York's JFK airport after the pilot became spooked by passengers' frequent trips to and from the restroom.

The precaution turned out to be unnecessary as federal air marshals aboard flight 34 from Los Angeles to JFK were able to resolve the situation when the passengers complied with their instructions, police officials said. The pilot then radioed that the situation was under control and the plane landed safely. Three male passengers were questioned upon arrival, but no charges were filed against them, authorities said.

The incident occurred around the same time that a second pair of fighter jets hit the skies to monitor another plane – this one a Frontier Airlines flight from Denver to Detroit – after two passengers aboard that plane were "allegedly behaving suspiciously," according to the FBI spokesperson in Denver, Dave Joly. The plane was met in the Detroit airport by law enforcement and taken to a remote area for a security screening, but no explosives were found, Joly said.

Instead, the "suspicious behavior" was two people "making out" in the bathroom mid-flight, law enforcement sources told ABC News. Three people were taken into custody for questioning, Frontier Airlines said in a statement, but no arrests have been made in that case either.

The incidents come as the nation observes the tenth anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks in which four passenger planes were hijacked. Nearly 3,000 Americans perished in that attack.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

9/11, Remembrance and Renewal: Changes in Airport Security

Digital Vision/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) -- As the nation marks 10 years since the attacks of Sept. 11, it may be hard to remember, but there was a time before we had to take our belts and shoes off while going through security at airports.

Today, the screenings have become more invasive; even children have been subjected to a thorough pat down.  And Transportation Security Administration Chief John Pistole has come under fire as a result.

"That makes me think you're clueless.  That you think she's gonna attack our country," said Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., criticizing Pistole after a 6-year-old girl was patted down by an airport security officer in April.

Pistole has since promised new rules to minimize pat downs for kids, but warns of the risk: "We don't see children as terrorists, but we know that parents and others use children to do bad things."

After incidents involving the underwear bomber and shoe bomber, the TSA has had to evolve to cope with new kinds of threats.  Pistole has stepped up security checks on trains, mass transit and other areas.

He says his agency screens 1.8 million people every day.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Sept. 11 Anniversary Report Card: Not a Lot of A's, and Some Explosive F's

James Hardy/PhotoAlto Agency RF Collections/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- Ten years after the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks, the 9/11 Commission report card on making this country safer from terrorist attacks revealed that U.S. security scored very few A's, lots of C's and incompletes, and at least two significant F's.

Despite billions of dollars spent on aviation security, the report found the U.S. still cannot reliably detect explosives that could bring down a plane.

"We are still highly vulnerable to aviation security threats," said the report, released Wednesday by the Bipartisan Policy Center.

The failure to detect explosives is one of nine unfinished recommendations the 9/11 Commission cited in the report card.

"We really have not gotten it right yet," said Gov. Tom Kean, the co-chairman of the 9/11 Commission which was organized to recommend ways to prevent another terror attack. "Some of these recommendations, no question you get an F."

The Transportation Security Administration acknowledged there is no silver bullet or perfect technology.  The agency's former administrator, Kip Hawley, said that by inspecting passengers' shoes and restricting the amount of liquid brought on board, the size of any potential bomb would not be big enough to bring down a plane.

"Yes, you don't want a bomb going off and injuring people on a plane, but you do not want to let them bring on a bomb that will catastrophically destroy the plane," Hawley said.

In response to the report, the TSA said that explosives detection technology was a "key part of a layered approach to aviation security" that has made American travelers safer since the deadly attacks.

"As we approach the tenth anniversary of 9/11, there is no question that America's transportation systems are stronger and more secure than they were a decade ago," TSA spokesperson Greg Soule told ABC News.

Also cited in the commission report card is the failure to remedy the communications breakdown that occurred on Sept. 11 when emergency police and fire units in New York were on different radio frequencies and could not talk to each other.

"People died because of that," said Kean, who now co-chairs the Bipartisan Policy Center's National Security Preparedness Group.

Kean said that Congress was to blame for that shortcoming for failing to allocate new broadcast frequencies for common use by all first responders.

"That should have been done yesterday, and everyday it's not done the American people are less safe," he said.

The report card does praise the work of the FBI and the CIA for finally working together, which it says led to the disruption of many plots and the capture or killing of terrorist operatives.

While security experts said a terror plot precisely similar to the Sept. 11 hijacking plot is highly unlikely, the threat has evolved and there still remain huge vulnerabilities ten years later.

Soule said the TSA stands ready "to confront evolving threats."

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Airport Animal Smugglers Busted in L.A. and Miami

Creatas/Thinkstock(LOS ANGELES) -- It’s not unusual to get backed up going through airport security because someone has liquids in their carry-on, but it is unusual when the hold-up is due to snakes, tortoises and birds concealed in cringe-worthy places. These animals were all recent issues at both the Los Angeles International Airport and the Miami International Airport.

In Los Angeles on Monday, a China-bound woman was stopped in security due to bulky clothing. After a pat-down, Transportation Security Administration agents found two birds wrapped in socks and taped to the woman’s leg and chest. She was arrested by U.S. Fish and Wildlife officers on suspicion of smuggling and exporting an endangered species out of the United States.

At least one of the birds was an endangered Golden Parakeet, a species of endangered tropical parrot, according to Richard Thomas, the global communications coordinator for TRAFFIC, an organization that monitors wildlife trade.

Thomas said that endangered parrots can be worth “tens of thousands of dollars,” and that the organization is “wary” of specifying the worth of the animals for fear of encouraging others to attempt to smuggle them.

Last Thursday, a man traveling to Brazil from Miami was caught attempting to get through security with seven small snakes and three small turtles in his pants. All of the animals were stored in women’s hosiery. He was also arrested by U.S. Fish and Wildlife, who took custody of the animals.

The TSA addressed the attempted breaches with humor, posting a TSA blog entry titled, “Snakes On A Plane! And Turtles & Birds, Oh My!!! Almost…”

“TSA’s mission of course is not to find artfully concealed wildlife, but items taped to a passenger’s body could very well be explosives or some other dangerous prohibited item,” wrote “Blogger Bob” of the TSA Blog Team. “We just don’t know until we check it out.”

“Indications are that [animal smuggling] is something that does seems to be happening more frequently,” Thomas said. “But it’s difficult to get a handle on whether it’s a growing problem or whether it’s better enforcement we’re seeing.”

Thomas stresses that security checks have gotten stricter and he strongly discourages people from attempting smuggling operations.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Soldier Accused of Carrying Explosives on LA-Bound Plane

John Foxx/Thinkstock(YUMA, Ariz.) -- An American soldier was arrested at an airport in Yuma, Arizona on Wednesday for allegedly trying to carry explosives onto a plane bound for Los Angeles.

Authorities said they had taken 19-year-old Army Pfc. Christopher Eric Wey into custody for attempting to smuggle a small amount of what was described as a high-velocity plastic explosive.

According to officials with the Transportation Security Administration, screeners at Yuma International Airport spotted the C-4 explosive inside a tobacco can that was tucked away in one of the soldier's bags.

A complaint filed against Wey says that he swiped the explosive while attending a training course.

It isn't believed that Wey had intended to use the C-4 aboard the United Airlines jet.  Nonetheless, he could face a sentence of up to 10 years in prison and a maximum $250,000 fine for trying to bring explosives onto a plane.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Report: More Than 25,000 Airport Security Breaches Since 2001

Creatas/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) -- Despite an increase in aviation security measures across the U.S. since the 9/11 attacks, more than 25,000 security breaches have taken place throughout the country's airports since late 2001, according to a new Congressional report.

That boils down to about one breach for every 170,000 passengers, or roughly seven breaches a day -- and this despite "enhanced pat downs" and other screening proceedures that many, including some lawmakers, say are becoming increasingly invasive to innocent travelers.

The Transportation Security Administration, however, says those figures are misleading.  In a statement to ABC News, the agency said the breaches represent "a tiny fraction of one percent" of the more than 5.5 billion travelers who have been screened at the nation's 450 airports since Sept. 11.

Yet, others find the report concerning.

"Certainly it's a small percentage given the large number of people screened.  On the other hand, we know from hard experience -- 9/11 -- that only one security breach can be catastrophically fatal," said Clark Kent Ervin, director of the Homeland Security Program at the Aspen Institute.

"I think the key question is: 'Are we as safe as we can be?  Are we as safe as we need to be?  Are we as safe as we think we are all these many years after 9/11?'  And I think unfortunately the answer to those questions is 'no,'" he said.

The findings will be presented at a Congressional hearing on Wednesday.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio