Originally Posted by
txflyer77
Cleared DEN security ten minutes ago. Theater is in full-force. The metal detector at the south Pre line is now "randomly" rejecting people, so even though you have Pre you have to go through the MMW or wait for a grope.
The WTMD beeped for me (no belt, watch, nothing in pockets, so I'm inclined to believe it is randomly beeping). My bags had already gone through and I was directed to a long line of fellow rejectees waiting for the MMW. My bags would've been a solid 30 feet away and I wouldn't have been able to see them, so I refused and stood next to the WTMD for about 15 minutes while waiting for a groper.
The perv groping me claimed this is a nationwide policy: Pre WTMDs will randomly beep. I don't know if that's true—could just be this mouthbreather blowing smoke—but I made it clear to him exactly how stupid and pointless that is.
Took maybe 20 minutes to get through security, which itself isn't bad for a holiday week, but it would've been the normal Pre experience if not for this sheer idiocy.
Paul Theroux summed it up well:
How I hate these people.
(bolding mine)
This was DEN, so there is another possible explanation...
You're hot, the TSO tipped his buddy, and you got singled out for...special attention.
It's not like it hasn't happened at DEN before. IIRC, the TSA special investigator witnessed but declined to get the pax's name and information for some reason.
It's probably the same response the too-friendly DEN TSO gave to any of the guys he set up for a sexual grope - "it's just a new TSA procedure".