WASHINGTON — Children 12 years old and younger soon will no longer be required to remove their shoes at airport-security checkpoints, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano told Congress on Tuesday. The policy also includes other ways to screen young children without resorting to a patdown that involves touching private areas on the body.
Napolitano said during a Senate hearing on the terrorism threat to the U.S. that the changes would be rolled out in the coming months. But the Transportation Security Administration later said the changes would be introduced in weeks rather than months. Napolitano said there may be some exceptions to keep airport security unpredictable.
Many travelers have complained about the TSA screening all air travelers the same way, including young children and the elderly.
To reduce the number of patdowns given to children, screeners will soon be told to send children through metal detectors or imaging machines multiple times to capture a clear picture and to use more explosive-trace detection tools such as hand swabs, according to the TSA.
