New Procedure Effects Passengers at Baltimore-Washington International Airport
Washington D.C. – Earlier this week, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced a new pilot program called Checkpoint Evolution. The new procedure will be tested at Baltimore-Washington International Airport (BWI) and directly affect Sikh Americans in the DC-Metropolitan area.
On March 21, 2008, SALDEF was one of a select group of organizations invited to evaluate the new screening procedure before it was publicly announced by TSA. As per TSA, the new screening procedure is designed to be more "soothing" for the passenger whereby allowing behavioral officers to better identify potential threats to the nation’s airports.
From start to finish, this new procedure combines increased technology with relaxing sounds and visual effects for the traveling public. The increased use of visual placards informs passengers of their responsibilities and the use of better technology could allow passengers to move through security faster and be screened more efficiently.
For the moment at BWI, the screening procedure remains the same for Sikh Americans. The significant difference is, if the metal detector alarms, the traveler has the choice to either walk through a Whole Body Imaging Machine, thereby potentially forgoing any physical contact with the turban, or be patted down by a TSA officer.
“The Checkpoint Evolution process is a very unique and innovative approach to airport security in the United States”, said SALDEF Managing Director Kavneet Singh. “The new process is a giant leap forward in respecting the Sikh turban; however, questions remain on how travelers are chosen to go through the Imaging Machine and what kind of effect this new process would have on the current screening policy procedure as related to travelers who wear religious head coverings.”
After reviewing the Body Imaging Machine, SALDEF National Director Rajbir Singh Datta remarked, “The image the machine took visibly blurred sensitive areas including the face. Additionally, the TSA officer viewing the image is in separate area to allow for additional passenger privacy. Overall, the machine may cause some privacy concerns; however, it is an excellent option as a choice for passengers if they must go through additional security.”
SALDEF applauds TSA in developing a new screening process which would generally refrain TSA officers from touching the Sikh turban.
SALDEF encourages the Sikh American community to take a few moments and document their travel experiences through BWI or any of the nation’s other airports.
