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TSA defends pat-down of 4-year-old at Kan. airport

By ROXANA HEGEMAN, Associated Press – 19 hours ago

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The grandmother of a 4-year-old girl who became hysterical during a security screening at a Kansas airport said Wednesday that the child was forced to undergo a pat-down after hugging her, with security agents yelling and calling the crying girl an uncooperative suspect.

The incident has been garnering increasing media and online attention since the child's mother, Michelle Brademeyer of Montana, detailed the ordeal in a public Facebook post last week. The Transportation Security Administration is defending its agents, despite new procedures aimed at reducing pat-downs of children.

This April 14, 2012 photo provided by Lori Croft shows her 4-year-old granddaughter Isabella Brademeyer, in Wichita, Kan., where she was a flower girl at her uncle's wedding. Brademeyer and her mom passed through security at the Wichita airport without incident when the girl ran over to briefly hug her grandmother, Croft, who was awaiting a pat-down after tripping the alarm. TSA then insisted the girl also undergo a physical pat-down, putting the agency on the defensive despite new procedures aimed at reducing pat-downs of children. (AP Photo/Lori Croft)

Doubtless saying, oh the kid grabbed some contraband off of the grandma... even if the reason for the grandma setting off the detector became obvious.

Did they even ask for or let the grandma hold the kid’s hand while this was going on (I doubt it)? Little children put through weird situations like this are likely to be behavior problems. Hopefully we will not have to wait until the girl is old enough to vote before there is kickback.