Originally Posted by The Real McCoy
See, that's what I don't understand! Where the heck are these "selective" searches occurring? In all the flights I've taken since 9/11, I swear to god I've never seen anyone get selected for additional screening unless (a) their boarding pass was SSSS, (b) they failed to comply with the "rules" - such as removing jackets before going through the detector, (c) they were physically unable or unwilling to walk through the detector or (d) the detector alarmed when they walked through it.
I guess my travels may just be unique, but I am flabbergasted whenever I hear the claim on this forum that someone was "selected for secondary for absolutely no reason whatsoever". I've just never seen a TSA person just "randomly" select someone as they're going through security to get additional scrutiny.
So again, I ask, where is this happening?
Tiny airport in North Platte, Nebraska, earlier this year. I am a 41 year old white male attorney. No SSSS on my boarding pass, I was dressed in Dockers and a Polo shirt, I dutifully removed my penny loafers (that do not alarm WTMD) before the WTMD, did not alarm the WTMD because I put my cell phone in my briefcase that went through the X-ray. As soon as I was through the WTMD I was sent over for groping and wanding. Way to go, TSA!
By the way, a slightly pregnant white attorney behind me without SSSS and who did not alarm the WTMD was also selected for grope and wand treatment. So much for 4th Amendment and common sense.