For some time, the LAWA Police has set up harassment points at various airport entrances. The majority of the time, they either have the equipment set up and no one there, or they just sort of stand around.

The last few weeks, however, have been different. They are predictably unpredictable at the Century entrance, sometimes blocking the Arrivals roadway, sometimes departures and sometimes both. They actually have a uniformed officer at the stop sign slowing traffic, creating idiotic bottlenecks. I saw one car pulled over next to me, a Hummer H2, and another, a Honda Ridgeline, get its bed looked in.

These harassment points have, in the past, yielded little more than misdemeanor marijuana arrests and a gun arrest for some gun enthusiast/nut with 16 guns legal guns and a bunch of legal ammo in his rig. These searches sound an awful lot like they have US v. Bard problems, and certainly do not appear targeted at stopping Ryder trucks full of fertilizer from blowing up a terminal.

Has anyone seen a challenge, successful or unsuccessful? Also, any other airports have this level of harassment?

Finally, has anyone attempted to refuse the search and see what happens? The reason I say this is that there are no reasonable turn back points and the signage on Century does not provide notice until it is too late to escape.

What pointless buffoonery. I expect to see this at my home airport soon enough. Anything to keep those budgets properly inflated!

The sad thing is that LAWA is generally one of the more fiscally prudent government agencies you will find and actually generates profits ("efficiencies" whatever) for the City of Los Angeles. This garbage sets them back.

This is starting in AUS as well.

The Austin Bergstrom International Airport is increasing security. Now vehicles are subject to random, voluntary searches prior to arriving near the terminal.

If a driver says no to a voluntary search, you are denied the ability to pull up curbside. Instead, police will direct you to a parking lot.

It's voluntary, but you're punished if you don't comply.

Global_Hi_Flyer said he's seen crap like this starting with the MD State Police at BWI too.

They are just trying to justify headcount. Pathetic.

The AUS VIPR operation also includes drug dogs, according to the news video.

Mission crap--er--creap.

Are they checking drivers at these checkpoints for warrants and license status (I don't know)? If so, I'd be surprised if there weren't lots of arrests for both misdemeanor and felony warrants, as well as for suspended drivers licenses.

and if my vehicle was subject to this nonsense, i would let them search but i would also exit my vehicle and observe every aspect of the search and if they ask why i'm doing that, imho, they have no business being a leo

This has been happening at LAX for quite a while now. I have seen it also at the 96th street bridge and the Sepulveda entrances. I have been stopped a few times (I usually drive a SUV) and they wanted to take a look in the back. Seems to happen to trucks and SUVs a lot. I have never been asked to show my DL. At BUR, they have a checkpoint before you can drive into the onsite parking lot and at the valet parking lot, the attendant usually ask to look in the back if you drive a SUV.