TSA/PreCheck - Odd TSA agent behavior
 

Wife and I went through PreCheck in MIA yesterday (flying AA) and observed something we thought odd.

We went through normally and the bags were going through the x-ray machine. The operator of the x-ray machine pulled my wife's handbag off the conveyor, opened it up and starting going through it. I noticed what she was doing and asked "what are you looking for?" and made sure to pay close attention to what she was doing. In response to my question, she frowned but did not reply. Eventually, she put the bag back through the detector.

Now this struck me as odd as every time I have had a bag pulled for further inspection, the machine operator identified the bag but another TSA agent pulled it and they inspected it in front of me. I've never seen the machine operator grab a bag themselves. Both my wife and I found the TSA agent's behavior odd. Also, the bag before my wife's purse held her jewelry (multiple gem'd rings and lots of gold bracelets). We inspected the contents of the purse after we left the area and nothing was amiss but I made sure the TSA agent knew I was watching closely.

Is there a different protocol at PreCheck for inspection that would allow the machine operator to do this? Does anyone else find this behavior odd?

SOP is to ask you identify your bag and then request permission to inspect.

My guess is that the TSA saw something of interest and wanted to check it out with out holding you up and perhaps because it was precheck and obvious that the bag was your went ahead. Normally I would give the benefit of the doubt that that was the case. However, it was the TSA so like you I would have been rather suspicious as well.

Please continue to follow this thread in the TSA Forum
Obscure2k
TravelBuzz Moderator

I know that keeping order in a community such as FlyerTalk is a challenge and I don't mean to be difficult but I don't quite understand moving this thread to an area called "Checkpoint Border Policy Debate".

My posting was not to debate checkpoint policy but to ask about specific behavior at the checkpoint and whether it was "normal". Frankly, having read about theft by TSA and observing this particular agent's behavior, I wanted to know what others thought of it. I debated posting in AA (since I was flying AA from MIA) but ultimately decided to post in Travel Buzz as I thought the topic broader. Frankly, it would never occur to me to post it in this area as I was curious about what a broad cross section of FT'ers felt about the question. Putting it in this area would seem to restrict it to those who would like to "debate" policy which I am not looking to do.

Finally, please take my comments as an observation and contribution to the community. As I observed earlier, it is hard keeping FT orderly and I have nothing but respect and thanks for those that do. If this is the "right" place for my posting, I'd only suggest that the area be renamed to something broader than policy/debate.

Thanks

not really supposed to happen.. but not really odd...
the operator probably saw something weird near the top of the bag, and was checking it out, most likely because they were unwilling to stop everything and wait for someone to be free to do the search as pre-check has only so many officers assigned to that lane (it operates independent of the other lanes). I'm not at MIA or pre-checke certified, so I could be wrong about that though.

Precheck lines are pretty lightly used. The staff seem more relaxed than those working other duties. My *guess* is the agent felt pretty confident whose bag it was and therefore did not follow the usual procedure. From their vantage point it may seem kind of silly to do a bag confirmation with relatively small volumes coming through the line.

From my vantage point as a pax, no one should be going in my bag without my knowledge and in my sight. It is an opportunity for theft and there is no justification for it happening at any time.

Twice I've had a TSO attempt to search my bag without my knowledge during a grope and the only reason I found out was because the bag was locked.

At PHX T2, a supervisor told me that TSA SOP does not require you to be notified of a bag search, nor does it require the search to be conducted where you can watch. The supervisor also told me that this is true not only at the checkpoint but anywhere in the sterile area or onboard the plane.

People who are interested in debating checkpoint policies are more likely to know the details of how checkpoints work, so I think this is a good location for the thread.

Normally, they ask you if the bag is yours before opening it so that they know who to talk to if any prohibited items are found. They have the right to search your bag, and they do not need your permission to do so. If the pre-check line wasn't busy and it was obvious that the bag was yours, the TSO may not have seen any need to verify.

Which means not only will I ziptie EVERYTHING shut when I fly next, I'll have extra zipties on me so I can reseal stuff if needed. OMG.

If you look around on this forum, you will find many posts recommending that you stow all valuables in one lockable compartment before putting your bags on the checkpoint xray belt. You don't have to use zip-ties - any lock will do.

Silly story. I came through the NoS grope a month ago. My rollaboard had just cleared the xray and the TSO standing there was about to open it. Oops. It was locked, of course. He looked around just as I stepped up. Then he asked if it was my bag. Yes...he says he needs to check it, can I unlock it? Sure...but I couldn't find my regular lock that morning, so I had locked it with a padlock. The key was in my small carry-on, which hadn't cleared the xray yet.

Carry-on finally comes through, and he watches while I undo the combination lock on the carry-on, remove my keys from inside, and unlock the rollaboard.

(The 'suspicious' item was two barbecue sandwiches from a local popular barbecue place).

Most of us who have adopted this practice did it because we had a TSO dip into our bag without our knowledge and out of our view. In all fairness, if could also be a pax who dips into your bag while you are delayed going through the WTMD/NoS or waiting for a grope, although pax don't have xray vision like the TSOs do.

A TSA supervisor in KOA was fired a couple years ago for stealing from pax at the checkpoint. She would watch the bag go through the xray (so she knew the exact location of wallet, valuables), pull the bag for a 'check', turn her back so the pax couldn't see what was going on, and steal things before returning the bag to the belt to be re-scanned. (In some cases, the pax were probably hung up going through the WTMD/scanner or otherwise not in sight of their bags). Technically, other than stealing from the bags, she did nothing wrong according to TSA SOP (pulling the bag, looking through it without identifying the owner or allowing the owner to watch, carrying it back to the front of the belt to be re-run through the x-ray).

"Suspicious" or "Delicious"? I'll bet TSA gets those mixed up all the time! :D

Thanks all for the comments/observations. Reviewed the thread with my wife and I think she's going to put a combo lock on the roll-on with jewelry and her YSL handbag actually has a built-on lock so she might was well use it too.

Usually I do lock stuff shut; I've always put a lock on my carryon rollaboard. When I fly at the end of the month, I'm tying up the zippers of my carryon personal item to the handle of the purse/tote. Mainly just to drive TSA nuts as much to protect my stuff and to buy me enough time to get it back in my line of sight. And I've always stowed everything before putting it on the belt, although until about a year or two ago I thought I was mostly safeguarding myself from other pax. I'll keep a pair of baby nail clippers in an unlocked pocket.

I'd never thought about zipties until this forum. I've thought of a thousand ways to create a flexi-cuffed mess of my carryons. :D

I have a routine that I always use. It has served me well. I stop in the restroom or even in the waiting area at ticketing. I put my wallet, watch, and cell phone in my jacket pockets and roll the scrunchable jacket up and put it in my backpack with my belt. I place my Kippie bag on top of this section. I zip lock my roller bag with my tools. I remove my large nail clippers and hang them on the outside of the backpack. I only have my boarding pass and ID in my pockets. They go in the bag after I am cleared by the TDC.

At the xray it is roller bag first, bin with shoes computer and Kippie (yes, all three in same bin, small computer) followed by backpack. I wait for all to disappear before I head to the AIT line. I have surrendered to the AIT just so I can keep an eye on my expensive tool case. BSX is still opt out. I used to leave the Kippie bag in the backpack until I started using pure Moroccan argon oil for a skin condition. There is something about that stuff that lights up the xray. Could be they can tell it is foreign. :p

Unless there is someone that is seriously travel naive in the line to the AIT, I am quickly through without incident and go to get my stuff. I usually beat it through. My roller bag nearly always gets checked and should if any bag gets checked. The TSO will grab it and ask whose it is. I wave my hand and say, "I will get my stuff and follow you, just wait." They always do. The bin comes through and I grab it and my backpack and follow them to the ETD. I take the clippers off the backpack and hand them to the TSO. Some will ask what it is for. I'll put it in my pocket and wait. It won't be long that they will be asking to borrow the clippers.

While they are checking the case, I put on my belt, take out the jacket put it on and transfer the right stuff to the right pockets. I put on my shoes and return the computer to the backpack.

I know, complicated process. The reason is to minimize my time between the TDC and "Have a nice flight." It works.

As simple as this is, it is a fantastic system. And as many times as I've flown, I've never thought of jacket pockets or something similar. You might think this is crazy but thanks for the ideas.