Lena Reppert, a 95-year-old, wheelchair-bound woman suffering from leukemia suffered further under the handling of TSA at Northwest Regional Airport in Florida Saturday. They took her adult diaper during a search. Since she had no spare, she was forced to fly without underwear to Grand Rapids, MI, on her way to Hastings to live with relatives. Her daughter Jean Weber accompanied her to a restroom to remove the diaper after the TSA agent searching Mrs. Reppert reported that she felt something suspicious and took Weber's mother to a private room, where Weber wasn't allowed. An agent came out and said the Depends garment was "wet and it was firm, and they couldn't check it thoroughly." Hence, the trip to the bathroom.
Whew! I can now breathe a sigh of relief that dangerours 95-year-olds in wheelchairs will no longer pose a threat to the airlines with TSA on the job.
Mrs. Reppert remained calm throughout the ordeal, but Weber sobbed when TSA demanded the adult diaper be removed. The whole process took 45 minutes, and, in the chaos, Weber lost her gate pass, so she couldn't accompany her mother to the plane. Mrs. Reppert commented that she was probably too old to care, and she just wanted to go home. She will eventually move to an assisted living facility near her relatives.
The TSA released the following statement Sunday. "While every person and item must be screened before entering the secure boarding area, TSA works with passengers to resolve security alarms in a respectful and sensitive manner. We have reviewed the circumstances involving this screening and determined that our officers acted professionally and according to proper procedure." C'mon TSA! Get real! How sensitive was it to ask Mrs. Reppert to remove the only adult diaper she had and force her to fly without one? What kind of danger would a frail, 95-year-old woman pose to passengers? If this is considered a proper procedure, it is time for the TSA to review all of its policies and procedures and start focusing more on suspicious behavior than treating everyone like a criminal. I find this entire situation unfathomable and indefensible.
The worst part of this story has yet to be written. The TSA denies that an officer told Weber that her mother would have to remove her undergarment. Both mother and daughter say this happened, and, frankly, I believe them. A friend of mine observed a small child who set off an alarm because she wore braces, and she was forced to remove them. The mother had two other children in tow, and other passengers watched them during the search. Stories and videos of many similar situations have frequently appeared. Own up to your mistakes, TSA!
It is time to place someone in charge of the TSA who understands the word reasonable. The intrusive tactics employed in these cases are unwarranted. Give agents the discretion to decide who really needs the extra precautions. Of course, that means the TSA must hire people with the capacity to make those decisions and pay them accordingly. What are the chances of that happening?
The American public deserves better. No explanation will serve to make this kind of behavior acceptable.
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