Hi all

I've followed FT with interest for a while, but never imagined my maiden post would be on a thread like this!

Let me preface my comments by saying that as an occasional visitor to the US, I have experienced at first hand the over-officious attitude that seems to be all too common amongst TSA officials.

However, this thread seems to be caught up in the question of the TSA's powers / jurisdiction, etc. What about the rights and responsibilities (both legal and social) of the individual TSA officials?

As BS as the 'crime' (assuming possession in itself is a crime) may be - if an individual (in this case a TSA official) discovers a crime in progress, is there not at the very least a moral and social obligation upon that individual to report that crime to the relevant authorities?

And on the question of detention - does the notion of a citizen's arrest exist in the US - and if so, could it apply here? For example in England and Wales (slightly different in Scotland, I think), any individual is entitled to arrest any other individual if they witness an indictable offence (i.e. one which could result in trial by jury) being committed. Not sure whether a 20 year-old in posession of alcohol would qualify as an indictable offence, but then again, the US approach to alcohol is very conservative/reactionary.