Customs Service to study discrimination complaints

The U.S. Customs Service is asking an independent review panel to determine if its inspectors at airports routinely discriminate against certain passengers, the Associated Press reported Thursday.

The panel will investigate charges that inspectors single out black and Hispanic passengers as suspected drug smugglers, subjecting them to body searches.

U.S. Customs inspectors have come under attack recently on charges of racial bias in more than a dozen lawsuits. Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., has also brought attention to the issue at Hartsfield International Airport in Atlanta, Ga.

Historical statistics reveal that 60 percent of passengers subjected to body searches or X-rays were black or Hispanic. Body searches are used to catch smugglers who swallow or hide drugs inside clothing.

The panel will be chaired by Constance Newman, undersecretary of the Smithsonian Institution and former Office of Personnel Management director. Three officials from other federal agencies will also serve on the panel.