Daughter: DIA security roughed-up mom, 83. Thank God she didn't slip

[MSgt213]

through. No telling what she could have done to an airplane with that artificial hip.

By Chris Barge, Rocky Mountain News
March 31, 2006
Sally Moon had to cool off for the better part of this week before she could see straight enough to write a complaint about a security agent's treatment of her elderly mother at Denver International Airport.

At first, she couldn't settle on the right words to use. "Horrific," "mind-boggling" and "outrageous" were a few that came to mind.

Anyone could see that Bernice "Bea" Bogart, 83, was a fragile woman, Moon said. Bogart had breast cancer surgery in 1997, a total hip replacement after a fall in 1999, a major stroke in 2004 that caused dementia, and is hard of hearing.

So when Bogart, who was in a wheelchair, was required by airport security on Saturday to stand against doctor's orders and undergo a rigorous screening by a testy female screener, Moon got furious.

"I don't know if she thought my mom had a bomb in her Depends or what," Moon said.

A Transportation Security Administration spokeswoman said Thursday that a high level of professionalism and courtesy is expected from its screeners and Moon's complaint is being looked into.

But Moon doubts anyone will be held accountable.

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_4585114,00.html

[ShortnFiery]

1. My dear 78 year old mother in a wheel chair at BWI Airport was ...

forced to stand up for over 10 minutes while they wanded her, patted her down, and in general, OBSESSED on this little bitty 103 lbs slip of an elderly woman. She was going back home to Phoenix while visiting us for a week last September.

I actually cried walking back to my car and exclaimed to my husband, "What? Where in the hell could she have carried a bomb? In her itty bitty hair bun?"

No I do not believe in racial profiling but an elderly woman who is humped over severely with osteoporosis is no person for airport security to obsess upon. :cry:

[BlueStorm]

2. Are we getting dumber or what?

It's just an old lady for god's sake!!!

Blue

[ShortnFiery]

4. I agree ... albeit less severe in most cases -

I bet almost everyone "with a tan" has an airport security story?

[IndianaGreen]

3. DIA = Denver International Airport.

When I first saw your thread I wondered what the hell the good analysts of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) were doing in a law enforcement role.

The headline is confusing!