A Carlsbad woman claims she was inappropriately touched while being screened by a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agent at the San Francisco International Airport (SFO) on her way home to San Diego County.
NBC 7 reached out to TSA, and a Public Affairs Manager explained they have changed their standard pat down procedures in the last couple of months to achieve the highest level of transportation security.
But Kursten Riede said a female TSA agent at SFO went too far with her recent screening.
Riede told NBC 7 she was on her way back to San Diego on March 11 when the incident happened.
“I was very ill," Riede said. "I was at the airport that day and I was so focused on getting back home. Somebody let me get ahead of them in line because I was running late."
When it was her turn to go through TSA inspection, the machine detected something, Meade said. She believes it was her shirt.
“By instruction, I had my legs apart, I had my arms up and I think the first place she was first touching me was my ankles,” Riede said.
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She said the agent got too close to her groin, and inappropriately touched her.
“I kind of jumped because I’m not expecting that,” she recalled.
Reide told NBC 7 she complained to supervisors and she was told to contact TSA to file a report.
A spokesperson for TSA told NBC 7 they are aware of the incident and have reviewed the surveillance footage. However, the TSA said the agent was following protocol.
The TSA explained that safety is their top priority and as of March 2, TSA changed their standardized pat down procedure. The agency insists the pat down was not inappropriate.
In a statement, the spokesperson said: “TSA continues to adjust and refine our systems and procedures to meet the evolving threat and to achieve the highest levels of transportation security."
