Body scanners being deployed at NYC airports

The federal government has begun rolling out new X-ray machines at New York City airports that will give security screeners a peek beneath travelers’ clothing.

Some passengers at Kennedy Airport became the first to be scanned Thursday in advance of a more formal rollout Friday.

The device is called a “backscatter” X-ray. It is one of two types of whole-body scanners that allow screeners to see if someone is carrying a weapon — or just a few extra pounds.

The Transportation Security Administration says people who object to screeners viewing a computerized representation of their naked body will be given a pat-down instead.

The introduction of the machines will be slow, with just a handful coming to JFK, Newark and LaGuardia airports in the next few weeks.

Right now, the TSA has around 300 of the scanners deployed at 61 airports.