SOP at LAX (talk to supervisor / write station manager?)
 

While traveling on AA from LAX - ORD, I was selected for secondary screening.

Joy.

When I got to the detector, the TSA employee suggested I remove my shoes. Comments about the shoe carnival aside, I told her that my shoes were ok, she shrugged and I went through without an alarm.

At that point, I was directed to sit down while another TSA employee wanded my shoes. The wand went off, the TSA employee requested that I remove the shoes so they could go through the x-ray machine. No issues with the shoes as they went through the e-ray machine. Up to this point, I was sitting facing my belongs on the belt.

The TSA employee then requested that I stand up and turn around (thus I'd be facing the wall) with my feet on the shoe printed mat. I said huh? and the TSA employee (to me) sounded annoyed with me a repeated that I should turn around and face the wall with my feet on the shoe printed mat.

At that point, I said: "But then I won't be able to see my luggage"

The TSA employee responded (with a sigh): "Fine, we'll do it your way" and proceeded to start the screening with my luggage still in my line of sight.

What should I have done? Was I incorrect? Should I have alerted a supervisor before or after the screening had started? Shoud I have written a letter?

From a background perspective, I am on a plane every week, travel light and almost never set off any detectors.

Thanks in advance

Gasp! How dare you question the security wisdom and expertise and authority of our nation's security screeners. I for one feel safer as a passenger in our air passenger system knowing that you were subject to extra screening by your refusal to remove your shoes.

They only do that 'for your safety'. Who knows -- someday they may actually find a dangerous item in somebody's shoes!

OK OK, enough with the sarcasm. She didn't say she was chosen for secondary because she refused to remove her shoes.

We have actually found items in shoes, razors, small knife and other little things.

You should be facing you luggage. The screener should be moving around you not you move to make the screeners job easier.

Well, it's not entirely clear from the post whether or not the person was SSSSelected (which would have been done likely due to outdated and lame techniques -- one way ticket, last minute purchase with cash etc) or the person was selected due to not removing her/his shoes.

If I read the OP correctly, the person was selected for Secondary BEFORE getting to the detector. And TSAMgr is correct - we're allowed to remain w/in view of our luggage at all times.

If the OP wanted to respond in kind to the TSA employee, could have cheerily said, oh it's not my way, it's SOP for your organization. Thanks so much for following the correct procedure ;) :D

Cheers. Sharon

I did not have the dreaded automatic SSSS on my boarding pass, but I was selected out of the line (then had my boarding passed stamped) for the secondary screening.

Back to the original post, honesty if we have to do this I'd at least like the procedure followed to be consistent.

So should I have called over a supervisor so that this TSA employee would have been made aware of the SOP? Or written a followup letter, etc?

Thanks

Hi Chichow,

My understanding is that SOP is actually only to keep a passenger's belongings in his sight if the passenger insists that it be done that way. If nothing is said to the screener, then screener has leeway to take your items out of your sight, so as to "speed up the screening process". I think you should have called over a supervisor, but only to complain about the bad attitude you got from the screener after you made a perfectly reasonable request that your items stay in your sight at all times. It sounds to me like your screener was just having a bad day.

Actually, it is the other way around. Passengers should always be present whenever their property is searched at the checkpoint. That's what the SOP says.

This is one of my pet peeves. My screeners know that I will come down hard on them if they ever search property without the owner present and watching the search. In the case of having to re-run property through the x-ray machine after a search, I give the passenger the option to stand at the end of the conveyor belt to watch their property be re-run. If they choose to stand at the search table (and they often do), then it's ok for the screener to temporarily take the property out of the owner's sight.

I don't allow my screeners any leeway to take property out of sight to "speed up the screening process." This protects both passenger and screener from any misunderstanding or, heaven forbid, false claims and accusations.