I have read many posts about TSA agents not having the authority to detain passengers and how passengers are not required to follow TSA instructions to freeze during "Bravo" drills.

Based upon this, what authority does the TSA have to trap passengers in the secure area of the airport?

From a post in another thread, it appears that passengers were trapped in sections of the secure area at DTW.

http://www.wxyz.com/news/detroit-met...rt-on-lockdown

It seems like passengers were trapped here, against their will (from the photos, it appears that the passengers were detained).

Also, are barricades restricting passengers to parts of secured areas in airports common? I have read about many "Bravo" drills but never anything like what happened at DTW.

How in blazes did they get away with this??? I'll give them the authority to keep people out, but, how do they justify keeping people in a secure area at an airport? If there ever was a reason for a worthwhile DOJ criminal investigation....

while TSA would prefer that everyone stay in the secure area, I doubt they could have blocked every exit and emergency exit in a large terminal. Life Safety Code requires that people be able to exit a building.

Well, Sen Rand Paul chose not to challenge them (except verbally) when they told him he wasn't being detained but he had to stay put until they summoned LEOs and told him he was permitted to proceed or leave.

If he didn't have the cojones to challenge them, I certainly wouldn't try it.

His rank did have advantages: he was allowed access and use of his cellphone while the drama played out.

CynicAAl, from the photos on the post, it appears that fences were put up to trap everyone in the secured area. I do not understand how this was allowed under the Life Safety Code either.

They blocked off part of the terminal with this barrier.

Use of the emergency exits may result in legal penalties if the government finds the use unauthorized/disallowed for the circumstances -- and for this kind of circumstance they'd probably want to deny allowance for such.

In packed places, when an emergency exit door becomes a bottle neck because primary exits are cut off, there is increased risk of injuries and deaths than if the primary exits remained open for use.

The TSA really isn't here as much to save lives as it's here to spend money and put on a show to justify its existence and convince the gullible that it's "tough" "security".

the gates are at the security checkpoint and many (most ? ) airports have them. Airport terminals have many exits, mostly alarmed, but have panic hardware that allow them to be opened from inside the terminal. I'm guessing people could have left via one of these exits, but chose to stay (or were told to stay)..

Back to the OP: the passengers were DETAINED unlawfully. TSA does NOT have the right to detain, without probable cause of THAT individual. This is stupid (no rational reason to trap other passengers inside), dangerous (if he were a terrorist, the bomb would be INSIDE the secure area where the passengers were trapped and unable to excape), and typical of TSA ('nough said). So much for Senator Paul's credentials as a liberatian.

Reading building codes is fun. The following links are provided for your enjoyment with the realization that they contain bureaucratic language and PDF files.

Means Of Egress

This is an interesting article dealing mainly with fire and poor means of egress but it contains this interesting quote:

Then there is OSHA. It is for employees, but there are a lot of employees trapped by such methods. I am a visitor in a lot of industrial facilities. OSHA is just as strict on visitor safety. I can guarantee that if you are a manager in an industrial facility and they find a locked or blocked exit door you will be notified in an unpleasant way. The code is at this link. It is an 800+ page pdf but the applicable information starts at page 146 in the document and 61 in the pdf.

Some interesting pull quotes:

And my favorite from a quick read: