A woman has filed a complaint with federal authorities over how her elderly mother was treated at Northwest Florida Regional Airport last weekend.
Jean Weber of Destin filed a complaint with the Department of Homeland Security after her 95-year-old mother was detained and extensively searched last Saturday while trying to board a plane to fly to Michigan to be with family members during the final stages of her battle with leukemia.
Her mother, who was in a wheelchair, was asked to remove an adult diaper in order to complete a pat-down search.
“It’s something I couldn’t imagine happening on American soil,” Weber said Friday. “Here is my mother, 95 years old, 105 pounds, barely able to stand, and then this.”
Sari Koshetz, a spokeswoman for the Transportation Security Administration in Miami, said she could not comment on specific cases to protect the privacy of those involved.
“The TSA works with passengers to resolve any security alarms in a respectful and sensitive manner,” she said.
Weber’s mother entered the airport’s security checkpoint in a wheelchair because she was not stable enough to walk through, Weber said.
Wheelchairs trigger certain protocols, including pat-downs and possible swabbing for explosives, Koshetz said.
“During any part of the process, if there is an alarm, then we have to resolve that alarm,” she said.
Weber said she did not know whether her mother had triggered an alarm during the 45 minutes they were detained.
She said her mother was first pulled aside into a glass-partitioned area and patted down. Then she was taken to another room to protect her privacy during a more extensive search, Weber said.
Weber said she sat outside the room during the search.
She said security personnel then came out and told her they would need for her mother to remove her Depends diaper because it was soiled and was impeding their search.
Weber wheeled her mother into a bathroom, removed her diaper and returned. Her mother did not have another clean diaper with her, Weber said.
Weber said she wished there were less invasive search methods for an elderly person who is unable to walk through security gates.
“I don’t understand why they have to put them through that kind of procedure,” she said.
Koshetz said the procedures are the same for everyone to ensure national security.
“TSA cannot exempt any group from screening because we know from intelligence that there are terrorists out there that would then exploit that vulnerability,” she said.
Weber filed a complaint through Northwest Florida Regional’s website. She said she received a response from a Homeland Security representative at the airport on Tuesday and spoke to that person on the phone Wednesday.
The representative told her that personnel had followed procedures during the search, Weber said.
“Then I thought, if you’re just following rules and regulations, then the rules and regulations need to be changed,” she said.
Weber said she plans to file additional complaints next week.
“I’m not one to make waves, but dadgummit, this is wrong. People need to know. Next time it could be you.”
When you hear hoofbeats, do you look for unicorns? Terrorist attacks on airliners have a common element: Goddamn Muslim perpetrators.
While Gd/d ‘slimes can and will exploit any available weakness, including planting bombs on disabled people or infants, the key to stopping them is obvious to any sentient person.
Dlip their wings!!!! Take the pressure off innocent passengers by totally excluding all Gd’d ‘slimes from all mass transit vehicles & terminals. Make the entire world a no fly zone for ‘slimes.
There is no need to grope children and elderly fliers. There is a pressing need to permanently ground all members and sympathizers of the accursed murder cult.
Fresh horseshit in a burning bag on the doorstep of some of these fools could work, I prefer staying away from air ports at all cost. Which is zero cost! J.C.
And we were, she among others led the charge for civil rights now in our Constitution. This crew is all about abolishing our civil rights and stomping on us. You will not see me at an airport please circulate help this go viral. Thanks amigo, J.C.
If nothing else this government should be very imbarrassed with these sexual abuses that the TSA puts on people. It is plain to see they take the least offensive person and put them through crueling sexual aggression handed out by the TSA. This is so sickening I can t even think straight.
I hope grannies make a pantload for these pat downs!!!! Make them really appreciate their jobs!
I have taken my last flight on a plane. My last trip was to Kentucky and I could have driven and gotten there faster. The first plane didn’t show. Took a second to a different city way of the course. Left home at 8am, got to the hotel in Kentucky at 12:30 a.m. Could have driven it in three hours. Coming back the first plane computer problems, could’nt get fixed, had to rebook, different flight, no food or drink, had to change planes in another city and arrived home at a different airport from where we had left in another city. Luckily our ride had checked and found out where we would be. No more, never again. I used to love flying so much and did so every chance I got. Really loved flying to London but not now. I’m grounded. My advice, if you can’t drive, don’t go.
One day, there may be a country where everybody is nude. In that country there will be no Muslim and no TSA…..
How much more shall we spend for a false security. How many more disasters we may face till our politician get the courage to speak out against the Barbaric Islam. It is Islam that makes Muslim extremists. We are closing our eyes from the source of the problem. Islam is the main problem.
OMG! Just when I think it couldn’t get worse – it does. How disgusting! The ones searching this old woman were probably Muslim’s. I read that most of the people hired for this job were. Of course they’re going to have fun with the Americans. They think we’re all idiots.
I may never fly again, Jim! I sure don’t plan to do it while these invasive searches continue. How !@#$$% dare they!!!!!! That’s an excellent plan. If you can drive, do it. I heard trains can be a lot of fun too. Greyhound is ok…a little slow. Maybe a friend, relative or neighbor would drive just for the opportunity to get away somewhere. Anything to foil this ridiculous TSA mess.
Right you are ManoMio… Mano is my mentor and Friend. To those of you who want to know more about Islam and Sharia, Mano is the Expert and has written a great deal and lectured all over the world on the dangers of Sharia. His current book “From Terror to Freedom” is based on his own life living in Iran and escaping just prior to being executed. If you would like a copy write him at info@escapingislam.com The book is a page turner and you won’t want to put it down, J.C.
I’m going to Vernal Utah this fall and it’s a 19 hour drive. I absolutely will not fly. I’ll saddle up the pickup and drive rather than put up with the TSA crap. I too believe everyone should find alternate transportation. Business can be conducted other ways than travel and reduce cost in many instances. The only way to stop this is to hit the airlines where it hurts, their wallets.
Israel profiles and observes behavior of the travelers with very good results in a very terrorist ridden area. They have even said or methods suck.
I’m with you Good Ole Boy, please spread the word. Thanks for the comments, you will have a heck of a lot better time, J.C.