US mother describes airport search as 'sexual assault'

MSN NZ Travel staff

Friday, November 19, 2010

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A US blogger has described the airport security "pat-down" she experienced as sexual assault.

Erin Chase, author of the $5 Dinner Mom cookbook and blog Our Little Chatterboxes, has written on her blog about the incident which occurred at Dayton International Airport in the US last Friday.

She says the airport official touched her genitals without warning her, as part of new security measures that are causing controversy in the US.

While the "enhanced pat-down" is apparently being offered as an alternative to the new full body scans used by security at US airports, Chase said there was no full body scan available at Dayton.

Officials are supposed to explain what the "pat-down" will involve beforehand and offer the option of a private screening area, which Chase says did not happen.

Erin Chase was travelling with her child when she was subjected to the search before her flight to Texas.

Chase wrote in her blog entry that the airport official told her, "I need to reach in and feel along the inside of your waistband."

"She felt along my waistline, moved behind me, then proceeded to feel both of my buttocks," wrote Chase. "She reached from behind in the middle of my buttocks towards my vagina area. She did not tell me that she was going to touch my buttocks, or reach forward to my vagina area."

"She then ... touched the top and underneath portions of both of my breasts. She then felt around my waist ... my inner thighs and my vagina area, touching both of my labia."

"I stood there, an American citizen, a mom traveling with a baby with special needs formula, sexually assaulted by a government official. I began shaking and felt completely violated, abused and assaulted by the TSA agent," concluded Chase.

The reported incident follows US man, John Tyner posting footage online of his refusal to undergo a full body scan or 'enhanced search,' which saw him tell an official, "Don't touch my junk."

User comments

I worry that they will start giving children "full pat downs". Does anyone know at what age they think kids should be "fully checked"????? I wouldn't want anyone subjecting my 12 year old daughter to any of what I have read on this forum

I can't believe that this is going on, what ever happened to personal space just for start. Next thing it'll be the same procedure to get into a shopping mall...americans are an awful example to the rest of the world and for some reason the rest of the world are supposed to follow them? Thank God I live in a country that doesn't feel the need to grope my genitals every time I want to visit friends and family by air.

america is a *** hole, have no idea

im just about to take my first trip to the usa and have no problem with it as i have nothing to hide if you're worried about it what are you trying to hide

I disagree with GMAC1505. To avoid 911 style attack, all you need is to ensure the compartment of the cockpit is tightly secure. i.e. the body search should only be limited to large metal (e.g. crewbar, hammer) or explosives, which won't be pick up by touching people's body parts anyway. The current security standard is simply dreamt up by those in the air-con office, and are out of practise by the officers. I don't think having her own plane helps, because the security is imposed by the Custom, not by the airline.

You kiwis need to expand your sources of current affairs other than TV One or TV3 news and read more than the NZ Herald. What's worse, Pat down or your plane blown up? Get real, you have better odds being struck by lightening then killed by a terrorist. It's over the top. The ex-head of homeland security is CEO of the company making the body scanners. American politics is corrupt, has been since JKF got knocked off by the so call lone gunman with the magic bullet. Bin Laden still hiding in a cave after 9 years. Use ya brain, it's all bolix. Stop swallowing the bull hook line and sinker. Travel the world and meet the people of the world even those in the middle east and you'll realise the real terrorists where red white and blue and blow smoke out their behinds for the gullible to follow.

As a frequent air traveller both domestically(within the US) and internationally, I am completely sick of the excessive amounts of security and beauracracy prevalent in the US airports. As I am a male, solo traveller, often with one-way tickets (as i am a merchant mariner) and non-white ethnicity, i get pulled aside for these "random security checks" which could most definitely be deemed as sexual assault, more often than anyone I know. Frankly, the amount of time and money spent on this farce could be far better spent on developing better technology to prevent the terrorists, and save the routine hassles at the airports! And as for the threat of a terrorist actually being onboard? Bring it on - remember Richard Reid the shoe bomber, and his mugshot? Big black eye from the college kid sat next to him, saw him fiddling around suspiciously with some wires in his shoe, and cracked him one. Good job!

Are you kidding me? If you don't like it, don't fly. How are you going to get your panties in a bunch over your security? I am a white, american, female, who thinks that the increased security is beond over due. I don't care if i'm poked, proded, sticked, etc. to insure that when I step on a plane I'm not going to be subject to a horrible, slow death by a fn tourest! How would you feel, if you and your "special needs" kid where on a plane getting tourtured to death with no escape all because you felt that you were "above" getting patted down. God, I hope i'm never on a plane with you.

I cant imagine what it would be like to be patted down like this lady. No matter how you put it, it is an invasion of privacy. Its not a matter of being a prude its just hard to accept that this is what this world has come to, on the other hand its the old addage "do or die" these days.

I think the lady needs to get over herself. I somewhat doubt that the intention was to violate her. The search is for a reason. Having worked 14 years in Prisons I don't get any joy out of searching people but its part of the job so you get immune to it as it is not personal. Once again it is part of the job. If she doesn't like it, get her own plane.....or think about how easy it was to crash planes into the World Trade Center by terrorists with box cutter knives. How many people died? Enough thats for sure.