INDIANAPOLIS -- Next time you head to the Indianapolis International Airport you might notice the TSA officers are a little more “intimate” at the security checkpoint.
The change was implemented at airports nationwide this month after a report found that TSA officers were missing guns and other banned items during regular checkpoint screenings.
The Transportation Security Administration says only passengers who set off an electronic scanner alarm or those who are randomly selected will be patted down. But those pat-downs will be more invasive than they have been in the past.
The officers will focus on the body area that is highlighted by the security x-ray machine.
“When we had multiple ways of doing the pat-down search it was a little bit complex and depending on the individual there were some inconsistencies in how it was applied,” said TSA Federal Security Director Aaron Batt. “Having one way of doing it creates consistency across the board so that if you’re a passenger, you know what to expect every time.”
Those selected for pat-downs will go through a comprehensive physical screening, which will include more rigorous searches that will be more thorough and intimate than before.
To ease concerns, the TSA says female officers will pat-down female passengers and male officers will pat-down male passengers.
RTV6's Marc Mullins went through the security checkpoint to give you an idea of what to expect - you can watch part of his pat-down below:
