I concur with eyecue.

First, we are looking to see if the shoes meet the profiled criteria. This is a judgement call by the screener. Sorry, but that's how it is. If it meets the screeners definition and you continue while wearing the shoes, you may be refered for additional screening.

Second, we are determining if the shoes may possibly have the steel shanks. As a courtesy, we will inform you that they may have shanks and you may want to consider removing them to save time. Sometimes the screeners are wrong and they have no shanks. They're using their best judgment on those. I've been wrong oon the shoes before too.

Sometimes, screeners may "flex their pecs" and request all shoes to be removed. It's supposed to be a request and not a demand. Talk to a supervisor if that's the case.