The Transportation Security Administration, officially an agency of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, is responsible for the safety of the traveling public in the United States. In the most important sense, it has fulfilled that mandate. There have been no successful acts of terrorism on the agency's watch. By another measure, though, the TSA has failed miserably. Many travelers dislike the agency and its rules and policies. The agency, it seems, finally recognizes that, and is taking steps to spruce up its image. It is a long-overdue endeavor.
Many of those who complain about the TSA understand the need for its services. Most, in fact, willingly accept the usually minor inconveniences imposed on travelers in the name of security. What galls them is the manner in which that work is accomplished. Rude and ham-handed screeners probably top the list of complaints, but one-size-fits-all rules and policies are surely are close behind.
As a result, the agency must deal with widely circulated reports of screeners who insult passengers and engage in what many travelers believe are unnecessary and overly aggressive actions in the name of the law. Thus the agency must address highly publicized incidents like those in which a 95-year-old cancer patient and a frightened three-year-old were subjected to strip searches, and a man with two artificial knees was forced to drop his pants to show his surgical scars. Those objectionable actions may occur infrequently, but they are the ones the public remembers most and that most tarnish the TSA.
To be sure, most interactions between travelers and the TSA are boringly routine. The agency's understandable goal is to minimize the small number of untoward incidents. To that end, the TSA is implementing a test program that should allow air travelers 75 and older -- a group that poses little risk to fellow passengers -- to move through screenings with less hassle. It is a smart move.
The new rules will be tested in Chicago, Denver, Orlando and Portland, Ore. -- all airports with a high percentage of older travelers. The new regulations will allow some in the 75+ age group to keep their shoes and light jackets on and to avoid pat-downs. There is no blanket exception, but the new rules should expedite movement through the screening process for all. Implementing the policy also has an added advantage. It should allow TSA agents to concentrate on individuals in other age groups which, experience shows, are more likely to pose a threat to safety and security.
The new policy, similar to one relating to kids 12 and younger already in place, has merit. If the tests prove successful --there's no reason they should not -- the program should be speedily implemented across the nation. Travelers would be happier and the TSA would take a positive step in burnishing its reputation.