Toddler Pat-down at YYC

This is a video of my 2-year-old son receiving a pat-down at YYC (Calgary Airport). His baby food jars had triggered the machine that tests for chemicals. The agent performing the pat down was quick and courteous. No matter how nice they are about it, I still think it is wrong if we pat down toddlers as the price of "security."

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• yyc
• patting down
• 2 year old
• airport security
• security theatre

[michaelelocasto]

@outcast569 : you make good points -- I consider this as just putting up a mirror for us to consider whether this is *actually* the type of security procedures we should value.

As an aside, I think asking CATSA employees to enter these machines to test them is a risk they shouldn't be taking. No public, independent testing of these machines and how they are calibrated has been performed. See the Therac-25 incident for why we shouldn't put blind trust in machines.

[michaelelocasto]

I should emphasize that the CATSA folks here are being asked to do a thankless task. And this particular situation is a cookie-cutter, by-the-book escalation. We chose the pat-down over the backscatter machine (which you can see briefly in the video) because the public assurances of privacy and health safety for those machines ring hollow to me. And yet -- this still doesn't feel right. And the only way I had to exercise control was to record public officials executing their public duty.

[2500shell]

This guy makes me laugh "OMG My kid is getting patted down I better bust out my cell phone" While in his head he is thinking "Hmmmmm I wonder how many hits on You Tube I will get".

[outcast569]

. .... never mind all the food you put threw the normal x-ray machines that never seem to bug any one.

[outcast569]

As to the "No public, independent testing of these machines and how they are calibrated has been performed." Your just plain wrong. There is somthing called the scientific method in the educated world. Peer review is submitted and ripped apart. If its not testable and provable it does not succeed. The fact that they are in place in other countries and not the USA should tell you we atleast took the time to make sure they are safe for you folks

[outcast569]

@michaelelocasto Apparently you didnt pay attention so Ill say it again. The back scatter are dangerous. I refuse to go threw them. The YYC ones are Radio Frequency. The Therac-25 issues are for ionizing radiation tests not non ionizing as the L3 Communication FBS machines emit.

Yes I will agree the ionizing radiation is nasty stuff. Its what they use in cancer treatments and like hell I would ever go threw one.

[Mr3stoogies]

you know what! you're one of the 98% passengers that don't know what safety means?!? passengers that worried about TIME you spend at the airport and germs you could get. But not your life... think about this, if something happen again (ex. terrorist attack) who will get the blame, airport security of course and people will say lack of security! I feel sorry for you guys who don't appreciate those people job, saving lives every flight. do long drive instead or buy a private plane!!! ==PENDEHO==

[username1502]

I value the security we have. There are a lot of crazy people out there and it is hard to tell who they are. They put rules in effect to keep us safe. Security is there to enforce these rules. There have been cases where people have tried to use a child to smuggle objects so if there is a reason to search such as a positive detection for chemicals then they should follow there procedure. Even if it means a pat down on the child.

[tpb1270]

I was debating whether or not to buy airline tickets for my family vacation this summer, or take a 14-hour drive each way. This video makes the decision easy - I wouldn't even want to go near an airport full of those creeps.

[outcast569]

The CATSA officers go threw them all the time to test the machines. Also it is illeagal to film in a private location with out permission. You would have been better off getting the footage from CATSA. Best of luck with it all.

[outcast569]

@Chickadee1018 its standard. Dont blame the employees. Blame the management of CATSA and Transport Canada. They are the ones that set the rules that change every day in that building.

Also the the OP. The machines they use at YYC are not the ones in the states (thank god) completely different technology. The US uses back scatter. Canada uses RF.