New Procedure Effects Passengers at Baltimore-Washington International Airport Washington D.C. – April 1, 2008: Yesterday, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced a new pilot program called Checkpoint Evolution. The new procedure will be tested at Baltimore-Washington International Airport (BWI) and directly affect Sikh Americans in the DC-Metropolitan area. On March 21, 2008, SALDEF was one of a select group of organizations invited to evaluate the new screening procedure before it was publicly announced by TSA. The new screening procedure is designed to be more relaxing for the passenger whereby allowing behavioral officers to better identify potential threats to the nation’s airports. From start to finish, this new procedure combines increased technology with relaxing sounds and visual effects to provide a unique experience for the traveling public. The increased use of visual placards inform passengers of their responsibilities and the use of better technology could provide allow passengers to move through security faster and be screened more efficiently. For the moment at BWI, the screening procedure remains the same for Sikh Americans. The significant difference is, if the metal detector alarms, the traveler has the choice to either walk through a Whole Body Imaging Machine, thereby potentially forgoing physical contact with the turban, or be patted down by a TSA officer. “The Checkpoint Evolution process is a very unique and innovative look at airport security in the United States”, said SALDEF Managing Director Kavneet Singh. “The new process is a giant leap forward in respecting the Sikh turban; however, questions remain on how individuals are selected to go through the Imaging Machine and what kind of effect this new process would have on the current screening policy procedure as rela
