Originally Posted by PeterSkeeter
How thorough can a check be, when the screener doesn't notice items falling out of bags? Do items that may pose a threat have to be at least 1 ft long, heavy and screaming neon yellow so screeners will notice them? Am I wrong in thinking that you may easily miss small dangerous items if you don't even have an idea of what's in the bag and what might have fallen out of a bag that was screened earlier?
Items tend to fall out of a bag as the screener is closing it back up or items are left out of a bag when the screener fails to put everything back in. Either way, it's sloppy screening. That's why I remind my screeners to search each bag diligently, thoroughly and carefully.
As for small items, I think you may be confusing checkpoint procedures with checked baggage procedures. We're essentially looking for explosives and hazardous materials (flammables, corrosives, etc) in checked bags; there are other items as well such as lighters and matches, but they fall under the hazmat category.