3 ms·

I'd guess they are hoping to find drugs on you, rather than, say, box cutters.

hammock 8y ago
TSA is not chartered to look for drugs, and technically, they aren't supposed to be looking for them (though sometimes they find them in the course of their job- transportation security)
- nasredin 8y ago
  Do the TSA screeners get training on identifying drugs?
  - betterunix2 8y ago
    Even if not, the TSA does report drugs when they find them: https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/whatcanibring/items/medical-marijuana https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/whatcanibring/... It is basically an end-run around the constitution -- if the police were searching through your bags without your consent any evidence they found could be challenged on constitutional grounds. The courts have (afaik) found that the TSA's searches are a different category, "administrative searches," and therefore not unconstitutional; somehow, though, there is no problem with using evidence found by the TSA in a criminal case. Also, since the TSA's mission is not limited to aircraft, it is entirely possible that "administrative searches" are coming to a public transit system near you. Presumably the same rules would apply.
- jghn 8y ago
  And yet that's primarily what they're looking for
  - c22 8y ago
    If that's the case then why does none of their fancy equipment detect drugs? Why are their canine units not trained to alert on drugs?
    - chimeracoder 8y ago
      > If that's the case then why does none of their fancy equipment detect drugs? To be fair, the GAO reports have shown that their fancy equipment isn't actually detecting weapons either.
      - snuxoll 8y ago
        But it sure detects the damned hair tie I forgot in my back pocket, and that’s the REAL threat they are protecting us from - elastic bands....
        deleted 8y ago
        [deleted]
      - polynomial 8y ago
        Seems pretty effective at detecting trace metals from handling artists' paints.
- ataturk 8y ago
  Was leaving Denver and the TSA guys had a dog going up and down the line and one agent was making the "smoking" hand sign to the other one for each passenger he pulled off to get swabbed. They damn well definitely were looking for people taking home weed.

TSA is not chartered to look for drugs, and technically, they aren't supposed to be looking for them (though sometimes they find them in the course of their job- transportation security)

nasredin 8y ago
Do the TSA screeners get training on identifying drugs?
- betterunix2 8y ago
  Even if not, the TSA does report drugs when they find them: https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/whatcanibring/items/medical-marijuana https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/whatcanibring/... It is basically an end-run around the constitution -- if the police were searching through your bags without your consent any evidence they found could be challenged on constitutional grounds. The courts have (afaik) found that the TSA's searches are a different category, "administrative searches," and therefore not unconstitutional; somehow, though, there is no problem with using evidence found by the TSA in a criminal case. Also, since the TSA's mission is not limited to aircraft, it is entirely possible that "administrative searches" are coming to a public transit system near you. Presumably the same rules would apply.
jghn 8y ago
And yet that's primarily what they're looking for
- c22 8y ago
  If that's the case then why does none of their fancy equipment detect drugs? Why are their canine units not trained to alert on drugs?
  - chimeracoder 8y ago
    > If that's the case then why does none of their fancy equipment detect drugs? To be fair, the GAO reports have shown that their fancy equipment isn't actually detecting weapons either.
    - snuxoll 8y ago
      But it sure detects the damned hair tie I forgot in my back pocket, and that’s the REAL threat they are protecting us from - elastic bands....
      - deleted 8y ago
        [deleted]
    - polynomial 8y ago
      Seems pretty effective at detecting trace metals from handling artists' paints.
ataturk 8y ago
Was leaving Denver and the TSA guys had a dog going up and down the line and one agent was making the "smoking" hand sign to the other one for each passenger he pulled off to get swabbed. They damn well definitely were looking for people taking home weed.