Woman Claims TSA Forced Removal of Nipple Piercings at Airport - KCBD NewsChannel 11 Lubbock

A Dallas woman wants an apology from Lubbock Airport Security Screeners because they made her remover her nipple rings.

37-year-old Mandi Hamlin had to use pliers to remove one of the rings because of scar tissue that had grown around it. She had been stopped at a security checkpoint at Preston Smith International Airport, before a flight to Dallas February 24th.

Hamlin says TSA Agents took her behind a curtain to remove the ring, even though TSA policy says a "pat down search" is enough. Hamlin claims she heard male agents snickering while she painfully removed the ring.

Hamlin has hired high profile attorney Gloria Allred and says she wants a civil rights investigation, along with the apology. Allred said "The conduct of TSA was cruel and unnecessary. The last time that I checked, a nipple was NOT a dangerous weapon." 

Lubbock's TSA Customer Service Manager says the screening was handled appropriately.

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