Body scans stir up debate Device that sees through clothing may become widespread By Jim Lynch The Detroit News Ten to 15 seconds in a full-body scanner could have kept Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab off Flight 253 on Christmas Day. But the controversial machines aren't standard equipment in airports here and around the world. Suspected terrorist Abdulmutallab's failed attack could change that. President Barack Obama's administration is reviewing airport security policies this week and may call for a rollout of more scanners at U.S. airports. Other countries already are taking action. On Wednesday, officials in the Netherlands announced they would begin using full-body scans on flights heading to the United States. Nigerian officials made a similar decision, saying they hoped to have their machines purchased and installed by early 2010. But their use as a means of detecting material that could be used as an explosive already is stirring up a familiar debate -- personal privacy versus security. Two scanners -- the X-ray backscatter and the millimeter wave screening device -- are capable of seeing through a passenger's clothing to reveal concealed items such as liquids or compounds that can be used as explosives. But they also produce a detailed body image that some see as intrusive, potentially embarrassing and problematic. For Detroit resident Paul Roache, embarrassment is a small price to pay for added safety. The 51-year-old musician's memories of the attacks of Sept, 11, 2001, remain vivid, and any steps that might prevent another terrorist attack are worthwhile in his book. 'I'd have no problem with (scanners), no problem whatsoever,' said Roache, who regularly flew out of Detroit Metropolitan Airport for vacations before the economy curtailed his travel. 'I think the safety factor should outweigh anything.' 'Virtual strip search' Officials with the American Civil Liberties Unions are concerned about the widespread use of scanners. They argue that the machines have not been proven to be effective and that other less intrusive and less expensive methods might work just as well. 'These scanners are like a virtual strip search that creates a digital recording of that strip search,' said Michael German, policy counsel for the ACLU. 'Americans should not have to subject themselves to humiliation in order to fly.' For airline security expert Douglas Laird, the decision by Nigeria and the Netherlands to implement scanner technology was the right one. 'The threat is not here right now, it's overseas,' said Laird, who has worked with the U.S. Secret Service and Northwestern Airlines. Had Abdulmutallab gone through a backscatter scan before boarding Flight 253 to Detroit, Laird said he believes there is a 95 percent chance he would have been caught. Device can prevent attacks According to Transportation Safety Administration spokesman Jim Fotenos, there are 40 advanced imaging units in use at 19 U.S. airports. Two of those -- millimeter wave screening devices -- were brought online in July 2008 at Detroit Metro. In September, the TSA announced plans to purchase 150 backscatter units that could be deployed in early 2010, and funds have been earmarked to purchase an additional 300 units. U.S. Rep. Candice Miller, R-Harrison Township, flies back and forth between Michigan and Washington, D.C., roughly once a week. She also sits on the House Committee on Homeland Security and believes U.S. airports need to make scanners a regular part of the boarding process for travelers. 'They have the capacity to keep you safe and save your life,' she said Wednesday. 'They will not invade your personal privacy. The person looking at them will be in a different location (away from the scanner). The person being scanned won't have their face shown in the picture.' But German said he and other ACLU officials are concerned that images from the scanners will be saved and could eventually become part of a public record. 'Most people wouldn't want to stand naked in front of a security agent, much less have an image of themselves captured like that in a form that's distributable,' he said. Laird believes scanners should be a part of security measures at U.S. airports. And to those who oppose their use on privacy grounds, he said: 'If we don't use these technologies, we'll see the same scenario (Flight 253) again until an attack works.' ScansCyberSurvey: What's your attitude about full body scanners at airports? Play an interactive graphic depicting body scanning technology. Find a special section with continuing coverage of the Flight 253 aftermath. Go to detnews.com/fight253. 