I wouldn't rely on that premise.

Nobody wants to be the one who stole the cookie from this cookie jar.

US Customs can and occasionally does detain and search passengers on departure. In every case I have ever personally heard of the passenger is detained at the gate during boarding. I'm not a lawyer but I believe this is because simply entering the secure area does not constitute "leaving the country" wheres actively boarding a international flight does legally constitute "leaving the country" so that is the point where US Customs has authority to conduct a search. I believe that even if TSA tipped off US Customs to something they saw at the checkpoint, they would still stop the traveler at the gate on boarding. If anything happened at the checkpoint it would be local LEO, not US Customs.

For future reference, TSOs are not law enforcement officers. They have no powers of arrest, detention or seizure. They are no different than the clerks at the Post Office, notwithstanding the police-like uniforms and fake badges. Would you follow a postal clerk into a private room and take off your clothes in front of her?

This is America. The 4th Amendment still applies, notwithstanding was TSA thinks. Please, if this ever happens to you again, call a law enforcement officer and tell him or her that, as an American, you will not agree to being strip searched in a private room by clerks.

No worries.

I believe that poster is flying from Calgary which seems to be a problem airport....see the latest "baby patdown" for evidence of that.

I've flown to the US 5 times in the past month from Ottawa, Toronto and Montreal. Haven't even seen the NoS in use let alone been selected for one.

Was selected flying back from Dallas in late May and opted out of course. Was one of the least offensive patdowns but still disgusting.

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (Linux; U; Android 2.2.1; en-us; SCH-I500 Build/FROYO) AppleWebKit/533.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile Safari/533.1)

Reading for comprehension isn't your strongest suit. I never called the OP a liar. In fact, I expressed an interest that the OP clarify certain points. I acknowledged the possibility that if the OP was required to remove her blouse, then perhaps this was a search by a different agency. TSA procedures do not require the removal of blouses. And if you read real closely, you'll see that I asked the OP to clarify that point, too.

Try again.

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (Linux; U; Android 2.2.1; en-us; SCH-I500 Build/FROYO) AppleWebKit/533.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile Safari/533.1)

Reading for comprehension isn't your strongest suit. I never called the OP a liar. In fact, I expressed an interest that the OP clarify certain points. I acknowledged the possibility that if the OP was required to remove her blouse, then perhaps this was a search by a different agency. TSA procedures do not require the removal of blouses. And if you read real closely, you'll see that I asked the OP to clarify that point, too.

Try again.

Post #16 posted by Bart:

Sure looks like someone was challenging the OP's truthfulness. Perhaps we have two Bart's posting on FT.

I agree both agencies wear uniforms. There are significant differences, the shades of the uniforms for one. The biggest difference is the firearm, baton, OC and handcuffs that are worn around a CBP Officers waist that is usually a dead giveaway. Let’s look at the procedure that the OP describes. She stated that her belongs were swabbed. CBP does not swab anything nor does it have the equipment at a port of entry to do that. Certainly, if CBP did have that type of equipment, it would not be at the Fresno CA port of entry. When CBP has escalated to the point of a partial body search, a supervisor is most often there and there is documentation that is given to the passenger in the form of a comment card and a brochure that describes the process.

As some have mentioned here, outbound inspections occur in the jet way. There is a very specific reason that it starts in the jet way. The OP was clear that her experience started in security. CBP does not employ metal detectors or AIT's so it is kind of unlikely that the OP mistook the location. CBP Officer's on occasion may be present at the checkpoint. However, they are most often looking for Immigration violators or customs violations. A CBP officer again in this context would not be swabbing belongings for any type of test.

The OP's story certainly out of the ordinary but I don't think it was a CBP inspection.

FB

^ http://www.ehow.com/how_4505960_make...alifornia.html

I'm awaiting the day it happens. I hope it's soon.

So what did you mean by this comment?

But my impression was that her answer seem to be saying that TSA has the right to do any search of the passengers that they want to do even if it does violate the 4th amendment. That the court could work that pesky problem out of passengers rights being violated.

If all through the course of human history, everyone always did what "the authorities" wanted, we would be still building pyramids.


Does Customs have this kind of test equipment?

EDIT: It appears not, see below.

nco4242, I want to echo the pleas of others to report this to the ACLU and perhaps find an attorney to file a lawsuit. I am glad it was not traumatic for you, but the thought of this happening to my own mother (who is about your age) is deeply disturbing to me. My mother is targeted more often than most, possibly because of her age or ethnicity, and if TSA is allowed to get away with this kind of action, I fear this will happen eventually to her and the mothers of other people.

What happened to you was inappropriate and, according to the TSOs here, not according to protocol. Please, please do something now, not for yourself, but for the other women in the future for whom this may be deeply traumatic.

That's exactly the way I understood it also: they will do whatever searches they want to do and if the people don't like it, let the court sort it out.