Originally Posted by
chollie
This clearly depends on the airport.
I've seen plenty of swabbing, but I have never seen the kind of device you are describing in use (although properly used, it might reduce the potential false positives generated by a groper fumbling around with the swabs with dirty gloves).
I can't say that I travel through every airport in the USA, but even the smaller ones now have an EOD machine which takes the swab off a plastic stick held by the Officer. The Officer's hands never come in contact with the swab.