OKLAHOMA CITY – Will Rogers World Airport will get full body scanners like the one at Tulsa International, though at least one area resident says the “naked machines” will be enough to keep her from flying.
Following the attempted Christmas Day bombing of Northwest flight 253, the federal Transportation Security Administration has ramped up plans to make sure airline travelers are thoroughly searched and even scanned in new machines.
Some travelers are not thrilled with the idea of having to go through the body scanners, or “naked machine,” as Norman resident and activist Kaye Beach calls them.
“The way I understand it, they have capability to record (the image), though they say they don’t. I’m sorry, but the ‘trust us’ route doesn’t work.”
“The airport route has gotten to be such a hassle and uncomfortable that I will pretty much not fly, unless there’s an emergency,” Beach said. “I will never go through a naked machine and my daughter will not go through a naked machine. It’s definitely altered my habits. I used to like to fly and liked going to airports. Not any more. I feel like a criminal going through there.”
Beach said that she is suspicious of people like former Department of Homeland Security head Michael Chertoff who advocate body scanners and have interests in a company, the Chertoff Group with a client that makes the machines, according to The Washington Post.
A report out of Britain’s Guardian newspaper notes that detail may break child pornography laws there.
“It’s not about security. It’s about making these corporations billions of dollars. Would these scanners have even picked up the underwear bomber’s little rig there?” asked Beach.
Beach said “It’s a power thing. It’s a dignity thing.”
“It’s an affront to my dignity. This is America. We are not prisoners,” she said.
Karen Carney, spokeswoman at Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City said the airport is “on a list of airports” set to receive one of the body imaging machines, similar to the machine already in place at Tulsa International Airport.
Oklahoma Watchdog called Alexis Higgins at Tulsa International Airport seeking comment about the body imaging machines, but she referred all questions to the TSA.
“We haven’t had a lot of people calling about it,” Carney said. “We know there’s been a lot of discussion about it in the media.
Carney confirmed that passengers can opt out of going through the body scanners.
“It will be interesting to see how (the TSA rules) will change because they will probably change,” Carney said.
Andrea McCauley, spokesperson for the TSA at their Dallas-Fort Worth office which oversees the airports in Oklahoma City and Tulsa said during the first part of this year 150 RapiScan body imaging machines are expected to be installed at airports across America.
And there are already plans for hundreds more.
“We have funding for 300 additional body imaging machines,” McCauley said.
“They’re a very safe technology,” McCauley said. “The waves are less than talking on a cell phone for 10 minutes or when you take a typical airplane flight.”
Asked about concerns travelers’ naked bodies will be viewed by TSA agents in a hidden room, McCauley said TSA “takes these concerns very seriously.”
Privacy filters will be implemented “to ensure passengers’ privacy,” McCauley said.
“It’s absolutely optional,” McCauley said of passengers having to walk through the body imaging machines. “We understand some passengers don’t feel comfortable passing through them.”
Asked if passengers will be further scrutinized if they opt out of going through the body imaging machine and simply prefer a pat down, McCauley said they would not be treated any differently.
Both millimeter wave and “backscatter” technology will be implemented, McCauley said. Millimeter wave technology beams millimeter wave radio frequency energy over the surface of the body at high speed. This creates a three-dimensional image, showing the passenger’s naked body – genitalia and all – although facial features are blurred.
Backscatter technology uses low level X-rays to create a two-sided image. According to TSA.gov, they are testing backscatter with an algorithm applied to the entire image to “further protect passenger privacy.”







What will keep the people who want to out smart the scanner, from getting one and testing prior to going to the airport…ummm…If you know how the security system works, you work on its weakness, and out smart it. Who is the best person to defeat an alarm system? The person who installed it! If you didn;t in stall it, then have one installed and look and study it weak spots. I’m not a rocket head or brain doctor… But I did work Nuke Weapon Security, and did know where to look to find the flaws in that system…You can train, practice, and study to prevent some things from happeing…But the bottom line is you must trust someone at some point… The PRP program from the Military… you watch me, and I’ll watch you…