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N.J. leery of airport scanners

Legislators called on Congress to reexamine use of body images, in light of privacy issues.

TRENTON - The use of full-body scanners at airports should be reconsidered because the machines are ineffective, are overly intrusive, and open the door to further invasions of privacy depending on how the images are retained, New Jersey lawmakers said Monday as they announced a resolution urging Congress to review the program.

"We're not talking about eliminating security; we're talking about using security wisely," said Assemblywoman Valerie Vainieri Huttle (D., Bergen).

The effort brought together members of both political parties and both houses of the state Legislature as well as the American Civil Liberties Union. The resolution calls the scans a "gross violation" of the Fourth Amendment right against unreasonable search and seizure and says the machines' effectiveness has not been sufficiently proven.

More than 300 of the machines are in use at dozens of airports around the country. Newark began operating its first machine last month. The scanner creates a detailed computerized image of a person's body and gives screeners the ability to check for weapons or other prohibited items.

Travelers who decline to go through the scanner are subjected to a pat-down that the lawmakers said involves the touching of genital areas.

"If it occurred in another setting, somebody would be going to jail," said Sen. Michael Doherty (R., Hunterdon).

An incident involving a body scanner at San Diego's Lindbergh Field over the weekend became an Internet sensation after a software engineer posted a cell-phone audio recording of the encounter.

On NBC's Today show Monday, TSA head John Pistole said the agency was looking for a balance between security and privacy. A TSA spokeswoman didn't immediately comment on the New Jersey resolution Monday.