Washington, DC – Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Republican leader John L. Mica (R-FL) and Aviation Subcommittee top Republican Tom Petri (R-WI) today called for a review of the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) pat down procedures.

Mica and Petri wrote to TSA Administrator Pistole outlining their concerns that the intrusive pat downs are being used in the primary screening process, rather than as secondary screening to resolve alarms or anomalies or for passengers who have been identified for further screening by a Behavior Detection Officer (BDO).

“While we understand the purpose of the recent changes in procedure, TSA has again missed the mark,” Mica said. “Treating every passenger as a suspect or criminal is an inefficient use of scarce resources, and the agency needs to focus on those who truly pose a security threat.”

“Security has to be our number one concern, but there has to be a better way than the alternatives TSA has chosen,” Petri said. “Really now, who thinks the public will put up with the kind of behavior that would get you arrested if you weren't working for the government? Do we really expect Grandma to go through this?”

Mica and Petri cited concerns from constituents, U.S. citizens, pilots, and airport directors regarding the new TSA procedures, and highlighted the agency’s reactive, rather than proactive, approach to aviation security.

“The entire focus of TSA’s efforts to improve aviation security needs to be revisited,” Mica and Petri wrote in the letter. They called on TSA to instead focus on better intelligence; thorough threat analysis; reform of behavior detection processes, beginning with properly trained document checkers; instituting a more targeted physical screening protocol; and finally developing biometric identification measures, as previously directed by Congress, to reduce the number of people requiring physical screening.

Mica and Petri pledged to work with the Administration and Congress to ensure that TSA refocuses and improves its performance.

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