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Woman: TSA Agents Treated Me 'Like A Criminal'

By Esme Murphy, WCCO-TV

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO)
-- In midst of the uproar over new airport security measures, a Hopkins woman says her experience with Transportation Security Administration agents made her feel like a criminal.

Betty Clark of Hopkins doesn't look disabled, but she has diabetes and a condition that prevents her from feeling her feet. So, because she needs shoes to be more stable, Clark could not stand sit while being scanned.

When Clark was told she needed a pat down, she refused and was ordered out of the airport.

"I'm 61 years old being walked out of the airport like a criminal and I done nothing except go through the scanner and not have the pat down," Clark said.

After talking with a supervisor, she finally agreed to the pat down, which she found to be extremely aggressive.

"They feel under your breasts. They literally put their hand up you when they say 'spread your legs.' I just know it's a humiliating experience," said Clark.

Clark also wants people to know that she understands the need for security.

"I am from New York. I certainly understand 9/11. This just does not seem to make any sense," she said. "The scanner didn't work and will probably never work for someone who is disabled."

The TSA says that anyone who cannot stand still enough for the scan will have to go through a pat down. But they do say that anyone with a disability or special needs should talk with TSA agents before doing the scanner.

Clark is hoping that next time she will be able to go through a metal detector, because she can pass through those with no problems.

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