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> insisted on calling a supervisor saying that I had accused him of theft ...

Once upon a time, I was pretty damn certain that a TSA 2-Striper was intent on stealing my Rolex. I tried to report the event. TSA declined to document the event or even look at the tapes.

Her greed and arrogance finally caught up with her and her crooked airport policeman boyfriend. Google: Renee Zima TSA

Sunshine is a powerful disinfectant.

LETTERBOY

The last time I flew, I asked the TSO if I could keep my wallet with me, as I didn't want to let my credit cards out of my sight, and he said that was fine.

weero

Your approach is very reasonable. I do this too, and I insist on always having my handluggage complete with me for a secondary and I also do lock it.

But I find that the TSA is very professional in that aspect. They understand your concern and cooperate in my experience.

Now compare that to their demented little brothers in FRA, LHR, SYD, or ZRH. The latter three all insisted on a secondary pat down (nothing wrong with that) while an agent was safeguarding my luggage (everything wrong with that). In LHR, the searcher accused me of discriminating against them when I locked my bags first, in ZRH the sup explicitly prohibited me to lock my bags are the staff are "sworn agents of the State". I insisted that I either lock it or take it with me for the pat down and it took minutes for them to budge.

They seem not to realise that they are much more easily compromised than pax and their lives are not on that plane.

KDS

When I get the "random" pull of my carry-on bag for a "recheck", I insist that I accompany the TSO and my bag back to the X-ray machine's entrance, and I tell them the reason is that I do not want my items out of my sight. I've had a few of them argue with me, but inevitably they (or their supervisor) allow me to go with them (and I carry my other items with me) -- I don't go outside the "sterile" area, but I am able to see that nothing is taken or opened prior to getting into the X-ray machine.

Being shy in the TSA checkpoint is something that I've decided to not be any more.

KDS

In fact, in many of the USA airports I traverse, there are public announcements about how "federal regulations require passengers to maintain control over their bags at all times" (blah blah). (I'll skip my rant about why my government thinks it needs to have a regulation telling me to watch my own property.)

So I sometimes mention this at checkpoints when I get some push-back about wanting to see/follow my bags. Can't have government "agents" disobeying government regulations, now, can we?

Jane42

Thanks!

RandomBaritone

That's simply not true. The equipment they use only detects residue from explosives.

Neither is it the TSA's mandate to use intrusive methods such as residue testing to root out traces of drug usage. Only if they witness blatant criminal activity -- i.e., illicit drugs openly carried in your luggage -- are they empowered to turn you over to local authorities.

I don't know where you got your information, but if you have any evidence to back it up, please provide it.

Yoshi212

From the Blogger Bob of the TSA
"Also, people have been doing some research and have learned that ETD machines can detect narcotics. While this is true, TSA does not calibrate our machines to test for narcotics. Narcotics will not cause catastrophic damage to a plane, so we’re not searching for them. However, we do stumble upon them while searching for other things. Wherever you can hide drugs, you can hide bombs, so we may end up accidentally finding your stash."
And I surely trust the TSA on saying it doesn't calibrate them to test for drugs after all the other things it has said its employees & machines can/cannot do like recording images of people in the nude-o-scopes.

JakiChan

Exactly. The TSA has no reason to trust me, therefore they do all these checks. I get that. But I have no reason to trust the TSA, or for that matter any other passenger. Their failure to understand that is amazing.

My items were out of my sight and control. I am responsible for them, so I'm going to make sure that what was returned to me is what was taken from me. If the TSA agents choose to be offended by that then they aren't thinking.

RandomBaritone

Huh? I hope it hasn't escaped your notice that the blog post you quoted backs up my assertion. TSA equipment is only calibrated to detect explosive residue.

If the TSA were using ETD machines to detect drugs in direct defiance of their publicly stated position, someone would have been arrested as a result, and the media would have reported it.

If you can find such a story, post it! I'll wager you can't, because it hasn't happened.

Yoshi212

Did you not read or just choose to ignore what I wrote under the quote? The TSA has many publicly stated policies that they violate on a daily basis. Drug detection is not part of their so called mission or directive but they love publicizing when they find drugs and hailing the TSA as a success. Using them to detect wouldn't be a criminal act worthy of arrest but it is beyond their scope just like many other things TSA does. You are correct that I cannot find a news article about a machine detection leading to an arrest but that doesn't mean it hasn't happened either. TSA claims they never saved images yet they did and they got away with it too. All a TSA agent has to do is say the machine alerted and they search you and they'll search until they find something, call the real police and you will be arrested. From there it is just the case of police stating they got a call from TSA about drugs found on a person. TSA can search anyone who goes through the checkpoint so there is no reasonable suspicion or cause needed.

nrr

In T8 (AA) JFK Pre-Check (I don't know about the other lanes), they have NO bins--everything is to be placed in one's carry-on (except, say, outer jackets, which go on the belt); if you lock your c/o, TSA (and others), can't steal the contents [they could steal the bag itself though...).

nrr

I'm "confused", I'm assuming TomMM would imply that you are a male; in PEK, do they allow women to frisk men? what about vv?

Schmurrr

With what DO you associate the swabbing for explosives and the use of the scanners?

chollie

(bolding mine)

No.

Certain government agencies are currently in an awkward spot because it has come out that the NSA provided information that led to drug arrests - but the LEs involved worked a scam to use the illegally obtained information to set up 'accidental' encounters that could be used in court.

Given this precedent, TSA would likely operate the same way. ETD says drugs, pax gets told it was a positive test and gets a rigorous secondary that uncovers the drugs. TSO summons LE and orders him/her to arrest the pax.

The pax in this situation is not told what the swab alerted on (quite common, actually). The burden rests on him to prove that the swab didn't alert on hand lotion residue or fertilizer residue or cross-contamination.

You're assuming because you don't read about it in the news, it doesn't happen. TSA denied race and ethnicity were a factor in targeting pax - until proof emerged, including a quota system at one airport, IIRC.