Fat-fold hiding spots no worry to TSA

The facts, one could say, were flabbergasting: Two Oklahoma women are accused of concealing shoplifted goods in folds of fat.

We're talking knee-high boots and jeans.

"These two individuals were actually concealing them in areas of their body where excess skin was," said Officer James Hamm. "Under their chest area and up under armpits and things of that nature."

Could such subterfuge pose a security risk at airports? The new body scanners would detect such contraband, but how about the opt-out alternative - the pat-down?

How much can anyone squirrel away in flab?

When 5-foot-2, 330-pound Shmeco Thomas, 37, was confronted inside a TJ Maxx in Edmond, she pulled three black fashion boots out from under her shirt, police said. (A fourth was allegedly in her purse.)

She and Ailene Brown, 28, also gave up three hidden pairs of jeans, said police spokeswoman Glynda Chu.

They probably weren't for personal use, since "the jellyroll gals" picked them up in the junior department, she said.

Brown, 5-4 and 210 pounds, said nothing about her pits.

"We find a lot of things at the jail - we've had weapons and drugs - but this is the first time we had boots," Chu said.

In all, more than $1,400 worth of goods were allegedly pilfered, including two sets of gloves and a wallet found in handbags.

"It's just unsual to see people front on and not see boots sticking out from their armpits," Chu said.

But just as the jailhouse frisk found them, no way such buried booty would have eluded the TSA, she said.

"I think it's safe to say that wouldn't possible, getting it past," said Ann Davis, regional spokeswoman for the Transportation Security Administration.

She declined to get into specific pat-down techniques, but asking people to lift their arms is fairly standard practice.

Besides, everyone has to go through a metal detector or body scanner, she noted.

Say someone is flying out of Terminal F, where Philadelphia International has its only body scanner, and opts out of being scanned. That person still goes through a metal detector before getting one a pat-down that's so rigorous some have likened it to sexual assault.

Heavy passengers do get fleshy areas checked out, a male TSA agent complained to "Flying With Fish," a blog at www.boardingarea.com:

"It is not comfortable to come to work knowing full well that my hands will be feeling another man's private parts, their butt, their inner thigh," the agent said. "Even worse is having to try and feel inside the flab rolls of obese passengers and we seem to get a lot of obese passengers!"

"Certainly, there are techniques to ensure that the patdown is as thorough as it needs to be to make sure that there isn't any contraband that gets aboard the aircraft," Davis said.

There's no discrimation involved, Davis added. "We certainly don't single anyone out for their body type."

In areas without scanners, passengers go through metal detectors, but pat-downs are still a possibility if screeners think more scrutiny is needed.

About 99 percent of passengers nationwide regularly choose the scanner over a pat-down, Davis said.

The nation has more than 400 body scanners, but no timetable is set for getting more in Philadelphia other than "soon," she said.

"We are scheduled to get more."