EDITORIAL SAFETY DECENCY AIRPORT SCREENERS CAN RESPECT PASSENGERS WITHOUT SACRIFICING SECURITY.

THOSE who have traveled by plane for the Thanksgiving holiday may have received an unwelcome surprise on their trip - a public groping at airport security.

A significant number of women complain about being forced to expose themselves or endure invasive touching before boarding a plane. The cause is the Travel Security Administration's response to two Chechen women's bombing of Russian airplanes back in August, possibly by concealing plastic explosives in their clothing.

It's hard to argue against the added precaution - law enforcement must be vigilant against all kinds of terrorist attacks. But it should be possible to do so in a way that's not so utterly disrespectful.

Women - and men as well, for that matter - who must submit to pat- downs can request that a security agent of their own gender perform the search, and in a private place. TSA personnel ought to make this clear if the issue comes up.

Government can be thorough without being arrogant, and safety need not come at the expense of decency.