What Authority Does TSA Have Beyond The Security Checkpoint??
 

I witnessed something today that didn't seem quite Kosher but maybe it was within the scope of the TSA.
A dude lit up a cigarette in the smoking room in Terminal C at LAS today. And he lit it with a lighter rather than a book of matches.
Two TSA folks were burning cig's in the smoking room when this happened and observed the lighter. One of the TSA folks stood up and, in the loudest LEO-esque voice he could muster, said "SIR, I MUST CONFISCATE THAT LIGHTER IMMEDIATELY" :mad:
The guy turned over the lighter sheepishly but it made me wonder where the TSA authority at an airport starts and stops.
Once you pass the checkpoint and proceed toward the gate, does the TSA still have the authority to confiscate anything they may have missed at the checkpoint? Or does that then become a LEO issue?
I'm asking this as I truly don't know and don't remember ever hearing about the physical boundaries of the TSA authority at an airport.

49 C.F.R. § 1542.5(c):
"TSA may enter and be present within secured areas, AOA's, and SIDA's without access media or identification media issued or approved by an airport operator or aircraft operator, in order to inspect or test compliance, or perform other such duties as TSA may direct."

Anyway, what's the point of refusing? These TSA "patriots" would follow you through the terminal screaming for a law-enforcement officer, who no doubt would treat the lighter as the Federal offense that it is! :rolleyes:

Bruce

Lesson learned
 

If you go to the smoking lounge, ask to borrow a light from someone who is already in there....and keep your lighter in your pocket.

How does this work? People can have matches in the secured area?!

Yes, up to four books. Five would be dangerous, you know!

Start: Airport grounds
End: Once you get out of the country, or off of grounds

This part of the law that you quote is to allow ASI to check for security procedures in the sterile area/restricted area.

can this whole thing get any more ridiculous....

does the government think that terrorists need a lighter to 'light a bomb fuse', and they could not do the same thing with matches? Does the government think that a terrorists needs 5 books of matches to cause havoc, but would be unable to do so with 4?

I don't understand the (il)logic behind all of this :rolleyes:

I guess you just aren't a security professional, huh? :rolleyes:

Bruce

ROFLMAO

What would have happened if the guy had handed it to them and in an equally loud voice said something along the lines of "You guys missed it at the checkpoint, so I thought it was OK"?

Create A Criminal Division
 

So when things are slow, or TSA is short of their monthly quota of busts, does an undercover agent offer a Free Matchbook and arrest those who accept for now having five?

There's your error, right there ;)

Apparently, you aren't the only person to have seen the LAS lighter police:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showp...9&postcount=13

Two weeks ago, I was thrown out of T-9 at JFK (American Airlines) at 2:30 am after arriving on a very late flight - I had a connecting flight at 6:00 am and had a BP for it and had decided to simply sit and wait for my connecting flight.

Nevertheless, the TSA employee yelled at me, telling me that it was a "Sterile Concourse" and that unless I was departing on one of the delayed European flights (that had yet to depart), I had to leave the concourse immediately.