Removing Shoes At Airport Security May Become A Random Check

Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano told a gathering at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. Tuesday that mandatory screening of shoes may become a thing of the past. But she did not say when such a shift might occur.

(L-R) Secretary Napolitano, Administrator Pistole

TSA Administrator John Pistole hinted at a similar change at a separate event.

USA Today cites an article in Politico, which sponsored the Newseum event Tuesday. In the article, Napolitano is quoted as saying "We are moving towards an intelligence and risk-based approach to how we screen. I think one of the first things you will see over time is the ability to keep your shoes on. One of the last things you will [see] is the reduction or limitation on liquids."

Yes, get used to those little three-ounce bottles in a one-quart plastic bag.

Pistole is quoted from an article which appeared in the Associated Press as saying that fliers might at some point in the future be allowed to keep their shoes and belts on as they pass through security, but that it was likely to become a random search technique. AP reports Pistole said that he wants TSA to always be "unpredictable" in its screening techniques. "The last thing we want to do is allow terrorists to game the system," he said.

FMIL www.tsa.gov, www.dhs.gov