Originally Posted by
FriendlySkies
This is my process:
Present NEXUS or Passport Card & BP to the TDC
After clearing, put NEXUS/PP Card, along with BP into my pocket
Take off belt and shoes, and put them into the plastic bin
Wallet stays in my back pocket
Cell phone goes into the middle compartment of my backpack, which is then locked until I clear the checkpoint
If I have anything confidential, or otherwise not related to the clerks, I keep them locked in the backpack.
If my bag is called for a bag check, I tell them to wait until I have the rest of my items.
I then follow them to the examination table, and closely watch as they touch my belongings.
I verify that everything has gone back in to the bag, and then leave the checkpoint
(if any attitude is receive from the clerks, I grab a complaint card, as well as the clerks ID # and name)
This is all good, and frankly is very similar to what I used to do in the pre-pat down era. I've always kept my wallet in my front pant pocket. However, following my first four pat downs, I now place it inside a carry-on bag before passing the bag through the X-Ray, in case I am selected to be rodgered. You see, when one opts out, during the pre-assault banter, I have been asked to remove everything from my pockets, and when I have done so a TSO has trundled off to the Xray to pass my wallet (and belt, in my case) through it. While this is bovine excrement of the first order, it results in me being far from my wallet, and it is out of visual sight for a short while. It's partially my fault, since I refuse to remove my belt and empty my pockets when I first ask them to select someone else, and then ultimately request a patdown.
Before I got smart and began putting it in my bag, I asked the TSO's taking my wallet to place it in a ziplock bag and seal it. Both TSO's (at different airports) thought that was a good idea, and said they would try to keep a supply of ziplock bags in the post-metal detector area, for such occasions, which I thought was rather nice. It would not only reduce the risk of someone taking something out of a wallet but also reduce the risk of claims of theft, real or imagined.
Anyway, all this to say, place your wallet deep in your carry-on so that if you are rodgered you don't have to risk parting with it during the pre-pat down foreplay. Oh, and taking one's belt off is also a good idea in this pat-down era.