WASHINGTON, Nov. 21 (UPI) -- The chief of the U.S. Transportation Security Administration said Sunday airport screening procedures will not be changed despite public outcry.
Appearing on CNN's "State of the Union," John Pistole said, "We know that we face a determined enemy who has been adept at devising and concealing explosive devices".
He said he was "very attuned" to objections to full-body scams and patdowns, but, "No, we're not changing the policies, because of that, because of the risks that have been identified because of the current threat in the stream".
"Very few people actually receive the patdown," Pistole said. "In spite of all the public furor about this, very few people do".
Rep. John Mica, R-Fla., a longtime TSA critic who will be chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in the new Congress, said, "I don't think the rollout was good and the application is even worse. This does need to be refined. But he's saying it's the only tool and I believe that's wrong".
He said a study had found that the private screeners can perform "statistically significantly better" than the TSA.
UPI
