Or someone who does not speak English; or does not understand screaming, accented English?

Edited: I see that I was not alone in asking this.

As an example as you list GLA as a home airport, I would have a far easier time understanding the words spoken to me at GLA than at many US airports. (And I suspect that the reverse is true to many Americans, if they transited GLA)

Maybe because you call them "clerks?"

Could someone stuck in one of these dumb exercises claim unlawful detention?

And, likely, because they don't have much to say. There's not a shred of any legal requirement for anybody to obey them when they do this, but they clearly don't want to say so ...

I asked a similar question earlier in the thread (still unanswered).

Basically, how do you know if the TSA personnel in front of you have been invested with law enforcement officer status?

Check to see if they're wearing badges? :rolleyes: :p

If I'm caught in one of these, I have no intention of freezing. TSOs have no legal authority to hinder my movement.

LOL, I agree, but prepare to be barked at by every TSO within close proximity to you! When I had my code bravo experience, I was barked at when I pulled my cell phone and wallet out of my bin, when I didn't move away from the belt with my possessions on it fast enough, and when I looked around to try to figure what was going on. Then, I started to talk to some of my family members who I was traveling with, and I was barked at again. If there is truly an emergency, should the TSA agents be focused on the issue rather than passengers who want to hold onto their possessions?!

I was caught in one of these a couple of years ago at LAX. I had cleared security at T7 and was on my way to the RCC when TSOs started running around screaming, "Everyone freeze!" Stupid me, I thought this was a real emergency -- I'll always cooperate in a real emergency, no matter who is asking for my cooperation. Now that I know this is just another dog-and-pony show by TSA, I'll simply keep walking to the RCC. They can yell as much as they want to. I may respond by telling them that they have no legal authority to require me to do anything, or I may simply ignore them. If they call a LEO, I'll be happy to cooperate with the LEO as I explain that, while he has the legal authority to stop me, detain me or arrest me, TSOs have no such power.

What if the LEO detains you for ignoring the TSA agent?

"Am I under arrest and what is the charge? If not, please excuse me."

He can detain me and he can ask me why. I'll be happy to explain to him. As I said, I cooperate fully with law enforcement. He can not, however, arrest me because there is no law that permits TSOs to stop me.

I say STOP...... Hammer Time... errrr... Hammer zeit!
http://img522.imageshack.us/img522/4...2261176402.jpg

C'mon folks-dontcha know that "Code Bravo" is the TSA's game of freeze tag? ;)

Perhaps the correct response to "Bravo" is a loud "Sierra"... :p