DALLAS (WBAP/KLIF News) – A Louisiana woman whose video of a TSA agent patting down her special-needs son at DFW Airport went viral said something positive has come out of what she calls a traumatic situation.
Jennifer Williamson said the agency’s Office of the Civil Rights and Liberties Division has asked her to help them devise a three-part plan to improve the training of the agents, address etiquette and sensitivity in the workplace and revise the language on their web site.
The agency also made her a member of its National Medical and Disabilities Coalition.
“I am in a situation where I can either fight with the TSA about our individual experience and demand that they publicly admit wrong doing and demand that they make reparations to our family or I have the choice to work towards change for all passengers who are flying,” she said.
It’s a change she said is long overdue. Williams said based on the feedback her video received, she believes that a lot of people have had a negative experience with the TSA.
“If we can change that and feel a little bit more comfortable when we’re flying as American citizens, I think that is just as important as our safety,” she said.
After the video went viral, the agency received a lot of backlash from the public, who felt the agent’s pat down was excessive and unnecessary.
Williamson said her son Aaron, who has Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD), was traumatized and still asks her what he did wrong to cause the situation to occur.
“It was kind a running theme. We had a discussion about the situation and I assured him that he did nothing wrong. A child doesn’t always have the ability to process why an adult would put them in this situation,” she said.
After Sunday’s incident the TSA issued a statement that read in part:
““The video shows a male TSA officer explaining the procedure to the passenger, who fully cooperates. Afterward, the TSA officer was instructed by his supervisor, who was observing, to complete the final step of the screening process.
In total, the pat-down took approximately two minutes, and was observed by the mother and two police officers who were called to mitigate the concerns of the mother.
The passengers were at the checkpoint for approximately 45 minutes, which included the time it took to discuss screening procedures with the mother and to screen three carry-on items that required further inspection.”
The partnership is in its beginning stages but Williamson said she’s ready to get to work.
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