Can a TSA officer search a traveler anywhere in the airport, including outside the checkpoint?

[bigbioman23]

I have gone to the airport and seen people get patted down by TSO’s at the boarding gate to get on the plane. I have also seen someone get searched near baggage check-in. It seems as if the checkpoint is not the limit for airport security to randomly check people.

[Superhornet]

Not all TSA agents are visible; they have BDOs that do some profiling. Unlikely (highly unlikely) that any of what you're witnessing is happening randomly.

[AntonioR]

That's kind of obvious, at least to someone that is always searched why passing through an American airport when its suppose to be random. The funny thing is that you go through airports in other countries at high risk for terrorism and you are not always searched, but go through an American one and the "random search" doesn't seem so random.

[Chava61]

Originally Posted by bigbioman23

I have gone to the airport and seen people get patted down by TSO’s at the boarding gate to get on the plane. I have also seen someone get searched near baggage check-in. It seems as if the checkpoint is not the limit for airport security to randomly check people.

I have seen people patted down occasionally before getting on a flight. But I have never seen anyone go through that in the baggage claim and therefore I doubt what you saw there was random.

[High_Plains_Retired]

MUCH has changed since I worked on the agricultural side of what is now Homeland Security's TSA but the government now defines the daily responsibilities of a TSO as:

1. Operating various screening equipment and technology to identify dangerous objects in baggage, cargo and/or on passengers, and preventing those objects from being transported onto aircraft.

2. Performing searches and screening, which may include physical interaction with passengers (e.g., pat downs, property searches) conducting bag searches and lifting/carrying bags, bins and property weighing up to 50lbs.

3. Controlling terminal entry and exit points.

4. Interacting with the public, giving directions and responding to inquiries.

4. Retaining and implementing knowledge of all applicable Standard Operating Procedures.

When I was there, we only checked Internationally arriving passengers and baggage along with U.S. Customs and the Immigration and Naturalization Service but of course we now live on a different planet as far as national security.

[bfrabel]

Baggage claim and the baggage check-in areas are outside of the "Sterile" zone, which means if you did see someone getting searched there, it was probably for a very good reason.