Woman Says TSA Forced Piercings Removal

UPDATE:

The Transportation Security Administration said it will change they way its officers search passengers with body piercings after a Texas woman complained she was forced to remove a nipple ring with pliers in order to board an airplane.

Mandi Hamlin, 37, had demanded an apology and her Los Angeles-based attorney sent a letter to the TSA this week requesting a civil rights investigation.

Keep reading AP story.

This was in response to an incident at the Lubbock airport on Thursday.

Hamlin said she could not remove them and asked whether she could instead display her pierced breasts in private to the female agent. But several other male officers told her she could not board her flight until the jewelry was out, she said.

She was taken behind a curtain and managed to remove one bar-shaped piercing but had trouble with the second, a ring.

"Still crying, she informed the TSA officer that she could not remove it without the help of pliers, and the officer gave a pair to her," said Hamlin's attorney, Gloria Allred, reading from a letter she sent Thursday to the director of the TSA's Office of Civil Rights and Liberties. Allred is a well-known Los Angeles lawyer who often represents high-profile claims.

Keep reading AP story.

Comments

[rektruax]

Let's make sure I get this...

This is one in several stories of an over-zealous TSA. Basically, because we had fat-assed incompetent airport security and an even more incompetent FBI and CIA before 9/11, everyone is treated like a potential terrorist by fat-assed TSA officers now. And thus it will always be.

Do I have it right?

[CHARLESTHETENTH]

I cannot believe the Huff Post would waste print on such nonsense. CNN, and other Media including tabloid magazines yes...but the Huff Post I thought a more responsible and committed to real journalism type Media. We do not need more tabloid press....s­o Huff Post get with it !! Our World, our country is in trouble and the American people who read the press should not be diverted, as they often are, from the real issues facing our future.

[LeftRight]

And the fact that our civil rights are being slowly eroded ISN'T a "real issue facing our future"?

[dijo]

I agree wholeheartedly. At the Birmingham airport I got my boobs groped before I could leave the security area because I wear an underwire bra. This is without a curtain for privacy. Talk about a humiliating experience.

[Lemeritus]

Exactly!

[flydoghead]

charles, if this happened to your wife or daughter I doubt you would think it was nonsense.
Do you get out much ?

[Lemeritus]

You tell 'em!

[BusGreg]

Gloria A. is an exceptional lawyer. I hope you sue the bastards. TSA needs to be put in it's place when it comes to forcing the removal of body jewelry. Not just because it is a privacy issue, but even more so because it highlights the utter incompetence. This even beats the TSA jerks forcing moms of newborns to discard their brest milk before boarding.

[keriheb]

Personally I believe the nipple story is important news. Further I do believe it is important to demonstrate the evidence to test the veracity of the story.

[LeftRight]

not really, she wasn't very attractive­....

[Cynth]

Following your logic, one could say that the TSA should be more clearly focused on matters that could be true security threats and update their policies and procedures accordingly, rather than engaging in "nonsense.­" This incident, however, isn't simply nonsense involving nipple piercings and personal distress. It does have implications regarding our rights and ensuring that security practices and resources are best deployed; thus, these are "real issues." News items like this can be an effective part of the process to address "real issues."

[Lemeritus]

Bravo!

[AnnArky]

"Earth" the sitcom.

[Hopalongpoppyseed]

"Intelligence" the final frontier.

[ChimpmasterDJ]

The TSA, known amongst anti-terrorism professionals as "Thousands Standing Around", is notoriously incapable of exercising anything remotely resembling good judgment. The levels of pay and training are often inferior to McDonald's policies, with the results one might well expect. True intelligent security is not in our budgetary means, but old-fashioned fear-mongering and the exercise of unwarranted dominion over citizens is peachy keen and affordable. I hope that one of the first acts of the Democratic President will be to get the Restore America Act passed and implemented into law, as well as the dismantling of the Department of Homeland Security, which is one of the most egregious bureaucratic boondoggles ever perpetrated.

[whizzobutter]

I hate to disagree with just about ALL of you, but speaking as somebody who's on a plane nearly every week (Charlotte coming up, then Dallas, then San Fran, etc.), I'm chronically infuriated by people who act like they've never been to the airport before, or haven't read a single newspaper since 9/11. Just because your metal contraband hasn't set stuff off BEFORE doesn't mean it won't NEXT time. Before 9/11, I regularly could get through with keys, except at Boston Logan, where the detectors were always the most sensitive (which is why 9/11 continues to puzzle me).

I've seen women show up with the dumbest looking sandals that they complain about unbuckling, when they KNEW they were going to be flying. If you've got any kind of metal on you, expect problems. And as for her solution ("Here, look at my boobs"), that still holds things up. If you're going to get something as stupid as nipple rings, you shouldn't expect the rest of the world to deal with them on your behalf.

People complain about the lines, then they pull stuff like that.

[TheHandyman]

Ah! I see, between the high risk danger of someone hijacking or exploding an airplane with their nipple rings and the intrusive and invasive disregard for American's civil rights you'll take the loss of civil rights because you are inconvenienced! It is the intellectually and morally stupified individuals like you that got us into this situation. Forget that for years recommendations for armored doors on airplanes went disregarded by the FAA and the airlines that would have prevented 911. Or the FBI reports of the terrorists activities that had the govt. followed up on would have caught them. Instead you whine about being inconvenienced by fellow Americans rather than raging against the idiots who created this ineffectual, half-assed attempt at "security.­" If you don't like it, charter your own airplane!

[TheRealMacDaddy]

The young lady in the article has every RIGHT to have body ornamentation as you have to wear a wedding band (if you are married). What those boneheads did was violate her rights as an American

It's not the wait that bothers me it is the TSA agents. But for you as someone who flys every week I can see how you would be more concerned about the wait than the issue those waits must be very inconvieniencing for you.

The purpose of the Transportation Safety Administration Security Screener is to ensure deadly weapons are not taken aboard aircraft..­.Not harrass people for their own amusement and enforce their particular morals on the rest of us.

As it said in the article she had passed through the walk-through metal detector without incident. She was not holding up folks like you....It was the TSA agents who would have caused you to have to wait another minute or two.

[MajorKong]

I can't count how many times I've been in line behind some woman wearing a bunch of chunky metal jewelry that acted surprised that she had to take it off.

[BusGreg]

Hey wizzo, can I stand back and laugh when your privacy is violated and you are being embarrassed by socalled federal "authorities" .

[LeftRight]

You're right, there are people out there who don't seem to realize that they are going to have to go through security. However, this woman was not one of those. She showed up wearing body jewelry that is not normally taken out, and went through the magnetometer WITHOUT setting it off. The fact that they wanded her after that is a) a violation, and b) their own damn fault. Further, insisting that she take out the rings when it was obvious that she wasn't a terrorist (witness the fact that she was MORE than willing to let a female TSA agent inspect the rings in privacy) and they were being unreasonable.

[sklfcats]

Good!
What a stupid waste of money anyway.

[FranklinS]

We're being taught to blindly obey. The 'War on Terror' is a fraud

[LeftRight]

Just like the war on drugs is a fraud!!!!!!!!

[LeftRight]

Okay, Now that I've calmed down some, I've got some wonderful stories:

Part 1
The first time that I flew after 9/11 was about six months after, 4/02. I showed up at the airport in Norfolk, VA to fly home for my brother's wedding. I got to the security checkpoint right behind a National Guard kid who was getting ready to stand guard over the checkpoint. He walked up, handed over his M-16, and went through the metal detector. When it went off, they wanded him, and CONFISCATED HIS POCKET KNIFE, saying "Sorry sir, you can't have this with you." and then handed him his M-16. After watching this, I walked up, showed my boarding pass and my Military ID card and got sent aside for extra security. I then went to the gate, and when I walked up, presented my boarding pass and Military ID card, I was sent aside for extra security. I got to O'Hare in Chicago, made my way to the gate and when I walked up and presented them with my boarding pass and Military ID card, I got sent aside for extra security.

Two days later I was in Seattle-Tacoma international and walked up to the main security checkpoint with my boarding pass and Military ID card. You guessed it, pulled aside. Then again at the gate. And finally at the gate at Dulles international. I got pulled aside with a Military ID card 6 TIMES!

[LeftRight]

Part 2:

I heard this one on the radio a couple years ago:

This woman called into the station and told the DJ that she and her husband had just come back from New York City where they spent xmas. When they got to the security checkpoint she realized it was a bad choice that she wore her thigh high patent leather boots. When they told her to take them off, she put her leg up on the chair to unzip them, and she and her husband heard the male TSA agent say "oooh, yeah baby, real slow like that!" When they complained, they were detained long enough to miss their flight, and have to get on a standby flight more than 8 HOURS later!

[LeftRight]

Part 3:

My friend on my second Naval ship came there after being a Military Courier. One day, about two weeks after 9/11, he was going to the gulf with a locked briefcase containing a cryptographic key. When he got to the security checkpoint he was ordered to open the case. When he informed them that he didn't have the key, and therefore COULDN'T open it, even if he was allowed to, they told him that if he didn't open it, that they would CUT IT OPEN! After explaining to them what he was, and why he couldn't open it, they brought the National Guardsman over and asked him to help them. When my friend explained who he was, and showed his Military ID card, and Military Courier ID card, and what he was doing (the non-classified portion, anyway), the National Guardsman informed the security guards (I think it was before the TSA) that he not only couldn't help them, but that if they didn't let my friend through, that he had orders to SHOOT them!

[MikeDu]

I think its so odd that the same people who don't dare allow 'civil servants' to deliver their mail will allow government employees to do a virtual (and often) literal) strip search of their fifteen year old daughter 'for security purposes'.

[LeftRight]

Okay, I'm not even going to go into the removal, my biggest concern is that they wanded her AFTER she passed through the main magnetometer WITHOUT AN ALARM! Once you go through the metal detector without issue, and if your bags are fine, then there's NOTHING ELSE TO DO. If she was singled out for extra security, then I could possibly see a pat down, but there's no reason to wand her if she's good for the main metal detector!

[rwe]

The picture at the top is frightening in so many ways

[TruEngineHearing]

This is so outrageous I can barely contain my anger. Those officials that knew that this kind of action was even possible should have their re-assigned butts kicked.

[captnEarl]

Help elect a democratic president (OBAMA) and a super majority in congress and we can reverse some of this extreme BULL SHIT that the repuks have crammed down our throats along with the help of some blue dog democrats

[gascelebrations]

TSA:

Take Scissors Away

Thousands Standing Around

[TheRealMacDaddy]

Tyranical Stupis Asses

[dtl1218]

Mine have never caused the thing to beep. I'm with her in her assertion that it was cruel to make her remove them. Being a guy I'd probably go ahead and do it b/c some of the TSA workers like to go on their little power trips and I like to get through those ridiculous shoes off lines as quickly as possible, but its completely wrong what they made her do, especially having to rush remove them with pliers herself.