By Eileen Fleming
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wwno/local-wwno-986452.mp3
New Orleans, LA – The glass-enclosed scanners are now using software that gives the Transportation Security Administration officers a look at what may be contraband. But the image is not in such a graphically detailed form that they're checked privately by an officer. TSA spokesman Jon Allen explains.
"A generic human outline will appear on a screen, and a yellow box will highlight the area of the body where software has identified that there is something that is concealed. At that point the Transportation Security Officer can focus on that area to determine what that is. The passenger, when they come out of the machine, can see the image. It's a generic image. It's the same for all passengers, and they can see exactly what the security officers see."
The TSA is installing the software in 40 cities. And Allen says changes will be starting soon that will let some children to keep their shoes on during screening, and if a problem is detected on the child, officers can use more methods to investigate other than pat-downs. Video of a little girl being subjected to a pat-down in New Orleans caused a viral sensation when it hit the Internet earlier this year.
For WWNO, I'm Eileen Fleming.