New body scanners
Evelina Ahsan, right, an officer with the federal Transportation Security Administration, participates in a demonstration of the new WBI Millimeter Wave Whole Body Imaging Technology at Terminal 5 at Los Angeles International Airport today. TSA officials say the machine will be used to randomly screen airline passengers. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
TSA officer Gerardo Orozco views a whole-body image in a remote screening room during the demonstration. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
TSA officials say the machines will allow officers to better screen for weapons and explosives without having to physically search passengers. Critics are concerned that the full-body images are too revealing, so passengers can choose a physical search if they prefer. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Passengers check their belongings through security near a sign containing information about the new screening machines. The images produced by the new screening machines are not stored or archived, and the subject’s face is blurred to protect the privacy of travelers. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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The images are screened in a separate room, and the reviewing officers have no interaction with the passengers. The scanners, which cost as much as $120,000 apiece, are currently being used in seven countries and a handful courthouses and jails in the U.S. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
