News & Resources

Background screening program introduced by TSA

Oct 15, 2011 Matt Roesly

A new program from the federal government's security agency hopes to make the process of waiting in airport security lines progress more quickly by letting frequent travelers go through background screenings before arriving. Reuters reports that the PreCheck program from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) prescreens those who travel by plane on a regular basis. The news source reports that the pilot program is currently being tested in Dallas, Atlanta, Detroit and Miami. Though there are fewer than 100,000 people currently taking part in the program, the leadership of the TSA says that the process will eventually reduce stress for those waiting to get through airport security. "It's a faster process," said TSA's Federal Security Director Mark Hatfield in an interview with the news source. "Your laptop can remain in your bag, your see-through liquids bag can stay as well. You don't have to do all the break down and separation." The TSA is coming under fire for its over-aggressive tactics in recent days. Lisa Dorn, 44, recently wrote in a blog post that security refused to exempt her from a pat down, despite the fact that she informed them about breast cancer surgery.