02Logo WFAN 1010WINS WCBS tiny WLNYLogo
Getaway Day: Traffic & Transit | Travel Guide Forecast | AAA Report | Listen Live: 1010 WINS | WCBS 880

News

Breast Cancer Survivor Lori Dorn Says She Endured ‘Humiliating’ Pat-Down At JFK

TSA, JFK Security Apologize, Admit Proper Protocol Was Not Followed

View Comments
Lori Dorn/Twitter

Lori Dorn/Twitter

Check These Out

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) – Although October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, it seems some Transportation Security Administration agents aren’t very aware when it comes to compassion.

Breast cancer survivor Lori Dorn says she was subjected to a humiliating public pat-down at John F. Kennedy airport even though she offered to produce documentation about her medical implants.

Dorn wrote in her blog that the patdown at JFK added “insult to injury and caused me a great deal of humiliation.”

Dorn was heading to San Francisco last week when a full-body scanner detected her prostheses. Dorn said she explained she had recently undergone bilateral mastectomy and had tissue expanders implanted for future breast reconstruction. A TSA agent refused to let her retrieve documentation from her wallet “that explains the type of expanders, serial numbers and my doctor’s information,” she said.

“I had no choice but to allow an agent to touch my breasts in front of other passengers,” Dorn said.

In a tweet on her Twitter account Monday, Dorn said she received an apology from a JFK official “who agreed that proper policy wasn’t followed.”

In its own blog, the TSA said it regretted the incident and apologized. “We do our best to treat passengers with the dignity and respect they deserve, but in Lori Dorn’s case, it looks like we missed our mark,” it said.

The TSA said the security director at JFK has reached out to Dorn to learn more about what happened.

The agency said medical cards “are a great way for passengers to discreetly let us know about a medical situation or disability,” and in Dorn’s case TSA agents should have “been more empathetic to her situation.”

It added that private screenings can be requested by anyone for any reason and said the agency recently rolled out a four-part in-service training course focused on screening prosthetics. Training is expected to be completed across the country in over a year.

Dorn said that while she understood the need for safety, airport security agents needed to show compassion and sensitivity.

Should the TSA agent be fired? What can be done to prevent this from happening again?

View Comments
  • Justin Case

    This world we live in is NOT because of islamic terrorists, it is because of the traitors in Washington DC. There is no need for greater security and anyone who accepts the TSA or greater security gets exactly what they deserve. I do not feel sorry for those who do not fight back against the government. If you are not a brawler then you ca fight back with your wallet and just stay away from the airports and buss stations till the TSA is gone.

    • Linda Green

      Right. There is no danger that I can see at airports. If there was such danger they would close the border. But then again maybe they know they have let terrorists in so we must suffer for their ignorance.

    • electronpusher7

      Until we rise up the TSA are here to stay

  • George Johnson

    Don’t forget peloski’s “You don’t professionalize unless you federalize!”

    This is about control. And liberalism. It’s PC liberalism we have this sort of thing in the first place. I mean come on, what things in common do all the terrorists have? A) middle eastern and B) muslims (and several other things too).

    Yet, we’re almost actively excluding those people because of PC. They get upset you know, and then they threaten us with cutting our heads off etc… (and carry out those threats too, that’s why people give into muslims so much)

    So we have to make a show of going after 3 year old girls and little grandma there to prove to them, we’re not “discriminating” against them.

    The Jewish have pretty good system of LOOKING AT THE PEOPLE first. Yet that guy Janet something or other, says that would never work here. BS!!!

    And it’s about control. Making YOU, the little people, blindly follow what ever the government says you should do. How long has it been since the houses of congress have actually followed the Constitution in performing their jobs? LONG DAMN time!!

    • Klaus

      End the TSA and its unholy parent, DHS, immediately. They “killed” the bogeymen in the caves (allegedly). Coast is now clear, until our taxpayer money is used for another false flag. We’re on to your game, enemy combatants, haters of the Constitution, and you will be defeated by We the People. How’s that Underpants Bomber trial going? Let’s get some daily coverage of it, CBS! Interview attorney Kurt Haskell.

  • Steven Monfrini

    If I said what I really felt about this the masters would jail me. I will say this though. the lash is to good for these people. It is time for the peseants,us, to storm the castle

    • r3VOLution

      If we don’t speak out now, we will definitely not be able to in the future. I felt as you do, but have decided I’m speaking out while I still can.

      • Steven Monfrini

        What I want to say could be seen a a threat to the ones in power. I would call for injury to certain people

        • r3VOLution

          You’re right. We can only speak out in generalities, and speak out we must. As loud and as long as we are able.

  • SpeakFree

    At no fault of our own, this is the world we live in now, created by Islamic extremists. I for one do not care about feelings when it come down to my flight being safe and secure. Any and all necessary actions that need to be taken should be taken. I work in healthcare and I do realize the sensitivity of the subject, however, TSA can put their hands anywhere they want, it’s just body parts. It’s really no big deal. If you don’t like it, don’t fly. Take a bus, train, car or ship.

    • papabear47

      I would expect these types of comments from someone in medicine,everyone elses body is free to see or feel as far as you areconcerned,after all parts ar parts in your little world (not all of you,some are decent),However you probably use your status as a medical provider to avoid the toucy feely types in your “profession”.

    • r3VOLution

      First, you have a higher chance of dying of a bee sting than you do of being harmed by a terrorist. It has been WAY overhyped with the purpose of teaching us to submit. Tests of the system show that weapons can easily get through. We are no safer for this harassment. There are already random bus and train maulings by TSA with plans for more. Now you can’t even go to a football game without a grope-down.

      • SpeakFree

        I’ll take my chances with the bee’s

      • keith

        Higher chance of being killed in a hospital by the medical people than being killed by a bee sting…

    • UCS

      How about this instead:

      If Mother Government hadn’t violated all of our 2nd Amendment rights in the first place, 9-11 would have been a 5 minute news blurb, and that’s only if it took place at all.

      We don’t need mommy government to violate our rights FURTHER to protect us because they are violating our rights in the first place, making us unable to protect ourselves.

    • Rob

      I would be so worried about someone in health-care working on me like you. Someone who clearly cares nothing about oaths, the law, the men and women who have died for our freedom and everything else that is American. So typical of the usual sheep who need to get home to watch Survivor and Americas Got Talent. WHere exactly were u educated at and did you ever take a history or civics class…ever?

      • r3VOLution

        Be kind. This might be a younger person who didn’t get a real education. They only teach twisted history now and no civics whatsoever. The “must comply” mentality is stressed in public education from a very young age, along with open-mindedness about every possible lifestyle and life choice (except independence and independent thinking), the global warming myth, etc. My junior high niece was doing some homework recently. One question was, “Of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, which has contributed the most to western civilization and culture?” She chose Islam. When I asked how she decided, she said they had to go from their reading and provide three points to support their choice… and Islam was the only one about which she could find three supporting statements.

  • Dean

    Let’s address the real reason for the pat down. Foreigners who commit these crimes of the past are allowed in to our country. If we can take a lesson from Saudi Arabia, then let’s limit those who can come in to our country. You and I cannot visit their country unless it is for a religious reason or business. Once all of the foreigners from the ‘bad’ countries are gone, we can get back to our normal lives. The only problem is that our government likes to control us so this will never happen.

    • UCS

      I’m sorry, but you didn’t at all address the “real reason” here.

      The “Real Reason” this is going on is that the government and the airlines have been violating our 2nd Amendment rights for decades.

      NECESSARY TO THE SECURITY OF A FREE STATE

      • Klaus

        The right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. They hate us for our freedoms.

  • BirdieGirl

    Personally, I think TSA was put in place to slaughter the airline industry, thus requiring a “government bailout”, then new ownership via the GOVN! Then the GOVN can tell us who gets to fly, when , and where. It’s more of the same; govn takeover of everything.

    • Klaus

      American Airlines is on the verge of bankruptcy. Mission accomplished!!

  • Opt Out

    No one should be going through the body scanners.

    1. The “backscatter” scanner can cause cancer on the outside of your body

    2. And the “millimeter” scanner uses microwave which can damage DNA on the inside of you!

    Cancer survivors especially but also everyone should OPT OUT!

    • Sharee

      Exactly! And neither the Millimeter Wave nor the Backscatter machine was put through any meaningful testing, and there were no long-term studies, so we could have generations of new cancers popping up in a few years.

      • r3VOLution

        There is already a cancer cluster in TSA workers in Boston, one of the first places to install Michael Chertoff’s scanners.

    • Opt Out your mind

      Everyone who is concerned about the Backscatter body scanners, should also be willing to put down their cellphones, wireless phones, wireless computer connections (that means no more trips to Starbucks), avoid sitting to close to your TV/Monitor cause you’ll go blind, avoid driving a car – it’s proven to be unsafe – much worse than airplanes – why have even stopped buckling up, damned if i’m gonna get cut in half because some bueracrat says I have to wear a seatbelt – it is my car or butter, I love butter, but then it’s full of bovine hormones or most importantly most people don’t know the USG injected a fix into all computers and software that actually delayed the Y2K bug until 2012 – coincident with the end of the world – so be prepared – find the chip and the bug in the code and remove it before you need to get to your computer Dec 2012 and you can’t. And lastly, the whole world order is a coverup because governments were taken over by aliens in 1955 and we’ve all been working to process methane gas for them since then.

      Let’s pull together on this one, just watch out for anyone that has a small scar on their left upper arm – that’s the sign of the beast and marks those that work for Satan. OMG – I just saw a butterfly, it’s so pretty, I gotta try and catch it….

      • Pilot.Dave

        Are you serious ? Back scatter body scanner use IONIZING RADIATION as in x-rays, cell phones, wireless data, etc use radio waves. They have about as much in common as heroin and milk :-)

        OK, I get it, you’re one of thiose TSA goons getting paid to surf blogs and such and run mis-information interfearance for We the Sheeple.

        • Opt Out your Mind

          http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1969732,00.html

          While I was just having fun trying to say you all worry too much about nothing, BUT since you tok the time to question, I think it’s particularly unlikely backscatter’s cause any more harm than reported by the USG since the TSA folks live and work near the scanners daily – so I would think a daily dose of whatever you proclaim they’re getting would accelerate the timeline for any cancer concerns and yet nothing is showing up… So, the examples I gave were to show you there are people who have similar unfounded fears – like TSA being exposed to backscatter, if cellphones were a real threat, more than likely the trend would have surfaced – given the number of people who use cellphones. AND just so you know, RF can kill you – stand too close to a radio tower and see how that works out for you. You really need to check your facts before you go about challenging things you’re not necessarily familiar with.

  • AD_Military_Guy

    Fired? Why isn’t he charged with assault? I’m in the military and the nature of my job if I make an error and “…don’t follow policy…” in the same manner this TSA worker did I’d be court martialed and imprisoned!

    • MsUnderestimated

      I agree! When will this madness stop? THIS IS GOV’T-SANCTIONED MOLESTATION!

  • SomeAngryGuy

    ” The agency said medical cards “are a great way for passengers to discreetly let us know about a medical situation or disability,” ”

    No. No they are not. If this were true, this wouldn’t have happened.

  • theseeker

    dismantle TSA AND DHS – DHS has 22 policy agencies full of lawyers and pinheads. Leave only original agencies – ICE, FEMA, CBP, SS, Coast Guard

  • JW

    You do realize that the terrorists have won, right?

    • r3VOLution

      And yet they still sit in Washington and we pay them to.

  • Mike

    Yes, these TSA agents need to be fired and the system overhauled. It is probably the world’s worst secret that it is mostly women subjected to these abuses, and the reason is the women who work for TSA are predominantly lesbian, thus undermining the purpose of a same-sex patdown. I have seen women who are busty or otherwise “exceptional” treated obscenely by these wretches in the blue uniforms, and I felt my own manhood degraded by having to stand there and watch, powerless to intervene. It is disgraceful. Hopefully when we get a real President it will be changed.

    • Donna

      For almost NINE years after 9/11, the airports used metal detectors and wanding, if necessary.

      Why then in 2010 did they suddenly thrust cancer scanners on the flying public?

      It’s sad to repeatedly hear one story after another of airport abuse, and that’s exactly what it is…abuse. No wonder no one wants to fly anymore.

      • Klaus

        They thrusted the cancer scanners on the public because Michael Chertoff’s company, L3, makes them. The U.S. State Dept. said they got a call from “an unnamed agency” to force the Underpants Bomber onto the plane without a passport the day before they had the cancer scanners scheduled to be rolled out. They don’t test the cancer scanners periodically, unlike all other X-ray equipment used on humans, and they don’t release any test results of the dose the victim gets. There are 2 types of cancer scanners the TSA uses. One uses X-rays and the other uses microwaves (euphemistically called millimeter waves to conceal the fact they are microwave ovens). Both will cause cancer. They treat you like an animal, and it’s time we unite to make them stop.

      • r3VOLution

        While the order for the scanners was placed with L3 ( the former head of Homeland Security’s company) prior to the incident, the underwear bomber was put on as theater to justify the purchase. Check out http://haskellfamily.blogspot.com/2011/09/colossal-deceit-known-as-underwear.html HaskellFamily on blogspot.

  • John

    New T-Shirt:
    “Nuremburg: I was following orders didn’t work in 1945 and it won’t work when we come for you”

    • Klaus

      “Just following orders” has become the American way of life. The lessons of the Holocaust have been forgotten, if they were ever learned.

  • Attorneygirl

    TSA employees are NOT polite, and do not care. I have experienced the same kind of humiliating pat down. My mother had just died and we buried her, and then I had to go to the airport at DFW airport. The scanner found the thing in my breast from surgery, and demanded that I go through a public pat down. I demanded a female to do it in private. The TSA male employee was completely rude, condescending, and outright mean. He was trying to pick a fight with me because my mother had just died and I was quite emotional. I stayed quiet and demanded a female do it in private. This is a major problem; a major violation of our privacy rights. It is slave training. TSA is arrogant, uneducated, unaccountable.

    • Joel Weymouth

      And all of you idiot liberals want this same government that came up with the TSA to manage your health care? Now imagine the “appeals” process because you have been denied a procedure because of some arbitrary reason. The government employee who deals with your case is probably a minority with a chip on their shoulder and a neurotic power trip. The actions of the TSA are a harbinger of things to come.

      BTW, you are also aware that the TSA monitors blogs and keeps track of people who say negative things? And uses it against them? And don’t think you’re safe if you use an alias. Do you think this site will protect your identity when confronted by Homeland Security? We are dealing with a praetorian guard for the “Emperor Caligula”.. And those of the buttsucking Obama bots who say “well it started” under Bush – need to remove their tongues from his majesty’s sphincter and realize that it will end just as badly for them as the rest of us. have noticed, it wasn’t this bad under Bush?

      • chelle

        Bravo!

    • Joel Weymouth

      IN my post – I was not replying to you, thought I was doing a general post.

    • SarahJane

      You last word really hits the nail on the head !!! What happened to “Clear and Transparant governent” or what ever they said ??

  • Bill Fisher

    TSA has been promising to “learn” from these abuses since last November and nothing has changed. Pistole promised to stop molesting children four times so far and every time another child has been recorded while having their privates groped by some low life TSA screener. Whenever one of these abuse stories makes it to the mainstream news outlets, TSA repeats the same tired “treat passengers with respect and dignity” lie and then goes about humiliating and degrading anyone they choose.

    TSA is a jobs program creating an illusion of airline security. After nearly a trillion dollars over eight years they can’t cite one success. Meanwhile 60% of the freight in the cargo hold remains unscreened, half of which is from foreign shippers.

    Add to that the 52 TSA screeners arrested this year for serious crimes, including two last month, one for rape and the other for murder. Of these, nine have been for sex crimes involving children. They can’t prevent crime within their own ranks, but we’re supposed to trust this agency with airport security.

    There was no excuse to harass and humiliate this woman simply for the “crime” of flying. The guards at Treblinka were just doing their job too and sadly even had those who excused their atrocities.

    This is a clear failure in management and explains why so many abuses are occurring. Pistole and the senior staff of TSA have failed miserably in managing this agency and it must be abolished.

    TSA Crimes and Abuses
    http://www.travelunderground.org/index.php?threads/master-lists-of-tsa-abuses-crimes.317/

  • http://thecryptojournalist.wordpress.com The Cryptojournalist

    The word to describe this episode….heinous

    http://rhymeandreasonable.com

  • Hank Warren

    Perverted TSA agents, yet another violation of our rights. Add it to the list of gov’t violations of our rights:
    They violate the 1st Amendment by placing protesters in cages, banning books like “America Deceived II” and censoring the internet.
    They violate the 2nd Amendment by confiscating guns.
    They violate the 4th and 5th Amendment by molesting airline passengers.
    They violate the entire Constitution by starting undeclared wars for foreign countries.
    Impeach Obama, vote for Ron Paul.
    (Last link of Banned Book):
    http://www.iuniverse.com/Bookstore/BookDetail.aspx?BookId=SKU-000190526

  • Derek Elliot

    She should change her name to Mahibah and wear a burka and she’ll never have a problem again.

  • Factchecker

    Janet Skunkhead is a FACIST. She and Obama are two heads on the same snake like the picture below.

  • Bob

    Fat Janet is the one that needs to be fired.

  • John

    You could have waited for a supervisor.
    A few years ago – they tried to pat down my 3 year old daughter. We flatly refused nuti la supervisor came and cooler heads prevailed….

    REMEMBER you STILL have rights

    • Alan

      No we don’t,

    • Marilyn

      I HAVE asked for a supervisor and all that got me was a more intensive search … all because I pointed out that the fingernail file that they wanted to take away from me was on their own “permitted” list on their website. The supervisor was called. He took my nail file and sent me to be searched.

  • Dan

    I am SO SICK of having my life impacted by stupid people. Shame we can’t neuter/spay ‘em or ship stupid people to a desolated island elsewhere. Do the entire species a huge favor.

    • Klaus

      That island is the United States of America. Welcome to the island.

  • Dan

    These TSA agents are bottom feeders, slack-jawed, bottom-feeding mouth breathers who can not hold a job anywhere else. Firing this agent is not the answer. What needs to be done is re-structure the entire TSA – have people with actual minds who are empathetic, are regular human beings… get OUT the morons and the mindless who currently occupy the agent positions and replace them with people who are intelligent and capable of critical thinking.

  • Scott

    Most TSA agents are recent immigrants and could care less how they treat us.

    • Michael H.

      Time to back up that claim with a source.

      • LIBSLAYER

        Short bus, refer back to JFK!!

  • John

    Would rather drive (and boat if necessary) to wherever rather than have my privacy invaded by these McDonald’s worker level of TSA agents. Nothing to hide, just have an extremely high regard for my privacy and absolutely refuse to be part of the rat race playing the Big Govt’s game.

    • Tim

      LOL…..”extremely high regard for my privacy”…..Do you have bank accounts, credit cards, store discount cards? Do you use Google? Do you use Gmail or Yahoo Mail or Hotmail or any other email services? Do you receive mail at home? Do you pay property taxes? Do you file for change of address? Every time you do any of this activities, you are signing your “extremely high regard for your privacy” goodbye.

      • Clark

        Oh, so it’s ok for a member of the TSA to fondly with a woman’s breast in front of public?

        • Tim

          No, it is not ok. I was merely addressing the concern John expressed for his privacy.

          • Pam

            Then Tim, you should’ve addressed John’s privacy concern in the same context it was expressed.

    • r3VOLution

      Yeah, just avoid those “inspection stations” all around the country within 100 miles of our borders.

    • Bishop

      John,

      Boring, tired argument re TSA’s qualifications and your disdain for air travel. Find a new line, yours is the definition of trite.

1 2 3 5
blog comments powered by Disqus
Listen Live!

Latest News Video