TSA Screening Violations 2016: With Breast Cancer Mom, 5 Times Airport Security Went Too Far

Screening procedures of the Transportation Security Administration have once again come under scanner after television and radio personality Denise Albert, who is also a breast cancer patient, claimed that she was “aggressively” searched by TSA agents at Los Angeles International Airport. She also said that she felt “humiliated” and “violated” due to the frisking.

The reported incident occurred Sunday night, according to Albert’s Facebook post Monday. She was traveling with colleague Melissa Gerstein, who filmed the pat-down screening. The video was uploaded in Albert’s post.

The footage shows her sitting without her shoes as a woman TSA agent frisks Albert’s legs and groin area. The agent then puts her hand on Albert’s chest after which “The Moms” radio show co-host says: “I have breast cancer. I had a lumpectomy. I have a port in me. You can’t touch me there.”

According to Albert, her medical port can get infected easily and should not be handled by anyone except her doctors.

“I had already told them about my metal port and my medical cream which I removed from my bag for them to see and test as I have done on prior flight ... and once through the scanner they asked me to take off my shoes. I explained I didn’t have socks on and that my cream is for an infection from my current treatment, including on my feet,” Albert said, in the post.

The mother of two filed a complaint with the TSA, who issued a statement saying that it is investigating the incident and “deeply regrets the distress additional security screening caused Ms. Albert.”

Following are other incidents where TSA made headlines:

August 2015: TSA screener Maxie Oquendo, who worked at New York’s LaGuardia Airport, was charged with unlawfully detaining and molesting a college student in a bathroom. Queens District Attorney Richard Brown reportedly said at the time that Oquendo allegedly “had [the student] lift up her shirt and unzip her pants and touched her breasts and other areas of her body over and under her clothing.” Oquendo was fired after the incident.

June 2015: Hannah Cohen — a disabled teenage cancer patient — suffered injury during a violent arrest by TSA agents at Memphis International Airport, her family has alleged in a lawsuit filed in July 2016. The incident took place on June 30, 2015, when Cohen went through the body scanners and the warning alarm triggered off. She said it happened because of sequins on her shirt. The lawsuit alleged that the TSA did not give Cohen proper accommodation to frisk her and rather discriminated against her because of her disability.

March 2015: Kim Dove, a 63-year-old TSA agent at Newark airport, reportedly pepper-sprayed her 70-year-old husband in the eye only because he refused to turn up the heat in thermostat. She was taken into police custody and charged with a misdemeanor count of assault and a lesser count of harassment. However, she was released on her recognizance after her arraignment in Stapleton Criminal Court in Staten Island.

November 2010: A YouTube video showed a shirtless young boy resisting frisking by TSA scanners at Salt Lake City International Airport, Utah. Luke Tait, who shot the video, said the boy seemed extremely shy that he was unable to keep his arms raised for a pat-down. He added that the boy’s father frustratingly removed his son’s shirt out to speed up the search.

“The TSA officer intended to pat down the child, due to a TSA requirement to check passengers with bulky clothing, which the boy was wearing, and not due to the walk through metal detector alarming ... It should be mentioned that you will not be asked to and you should not remove clothing [other than shoes, coats and jackets] at a TSA checkpoint. If you're asked to remove your clothing, you should ask for a supervisor or manager,” TSA said, in a statement at the time.