Schumer, Gianaris push TSA flier advocate

Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and state Sen. Michael Gianaris called for the Transportation Security Administration to put passenger advocates at airports and investigate allegations of inappropriate searches of several women in the past few weeks.

Schumer and Gianaris came up with the proposal after Lenore Zimmerman, 85, from Long Beach and Ruth Sherman, 88, from Sunrise, Fla., said they had been strip-searched by TSA agents at the JetBlue terminal at Kennedy Airport before boarding flights to Florida. A third woman, Linda Kallish, of Boynton Beach, Fla., reported having her belongings confiscated and being told to strip. The senators spoke with Sherman's and Zimmerman's sons and Gianaris called the TSA's performance "abysmal."

"We have to have balance between security and convenience," said Schumer at a news conference Sunday at Kennedy Airport. "The balance failed to be struck, especially when it comes to some of our most vulnerable passengers."

Under the proposal, TSA would have to designate some of its existing employees as passenger advocates and train them in resolving disputes between security agents and customers who feel the search they could be ordered to go through would be degrading. One advocate would have to be available at each airport, at all times.

"It's not expensive, it's not hard and we can avoid what happened," said Schumer, adding that, if the agency does not comply, he will look into legislating the rule into existence. Schumer and Gianaris sent a copy of their proposal to Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and John Pistole, the administrator of TSA.

The senators also asked TSA to investigate the alleged violations against Sherman and Zimmerman.

TSA denied some details of the incidents in a blog post on its website, writing, "TSA does not, and has never, conducted strip searches and no strip searches occurred in any of these incidents." The post goes on to explain that security agents mistook Zimmerman's back brace for a money belt. An agency representative didn't comment on Schumer's proposal, saying only that TSA would speak to him directly. A Port Authority spokesman wasn't available for comment.

Ruth Sherman "is being violated again by the TSA, whose policy seems to be 'lie and deny,' " said Ralph Sherman, 64, her son, who lives in Hillcrest, Queens, and attended the news conference with his brother Bob, 67, of Plainview. Lenore Zimmerman's son Bruce Zimmerman, 55, said his goal "is to not to let this happen to your mother or grandmother ever again."