New screening procedures coming to Willard Airport
If you're flying out of Willard Airport in Savoy, you'll soon have the option of going through a different security screening procedure.
Gone is the traditional metal detector, and in its place is a full body scanner.
The scanner is able to show exactly where a passenger might be carrying a dangerous object, but it doesn't invade passengers' privacy by showing a detailed image.
Transportation Security Administration spokesperson Mike McCarthy says that will make the screening process more quick and efficient.
- Hear from Mike McCarthy.
Willard Airport Manager Steve Wanzek says the airport will be getting the word out to passengers about the new technology so they know what to expect when they board a flight.
- Hear from Steve Wanzek.
Mike McCarthy says the new scanner should be up and running in a couple weeks. Passengers do have the option of asking for a full-body pat down instead of going through the scanner.
MoreTo anyone (including Mr. Wanzek and the N-G staff) who thinks this is an improvement or isn't at least skeptical of the new system, be aware that there is a great deal of well-grounded criticism of these full-body scanners, which this article does not hint at.
At a minimum, consider that the Electronic Information Privacy Center is engaged in a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security to suspend the use of these scanners, contending that "the TSA has acted outside of its regulatory authority and with profound disregard for the statutory and constitutional rights of air travelers".
If that doesn't have you worried, then consider that tens of thousands of images from a body scanner operated by the U.S. Marshals have already leaked out onto the internet, and yet there is no evidence that they are making flights any safer.
Lastly, consider that the onerous and ineffective screening procedures inflicted upon us by Mr. Wanzek and his colleagues cost the country on the order of billions of dollars in lost productivity (not to mention the TSA's budget itself) per year. All of that money or effort could be going toward improving medicine, making cars safer, improving our education system, and so on.
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