Nov. 8—Across the country, the Transportation Security Administration reported in October that more firearms had already been caught at airport security checkpoints in 2021 than in the last 20 years.
But at the Walla Walla Regional Airport, it's rare for a passenger to break airport rules by walking in with an improperly stores gun, said Lorie Dankers, a spokesperson for the TSA. Instead, travelers from the local airport are far more likely to run afoul of security by trying to carry-on corkscrews and full bottles of wine.
While corkscrews themselves are allowed in carry-on luggage, many also have a blade, which is prohibited outside of checked bags. Travelers out of Walla Walla's wine country have filled many a lock box with relinquished corkscrews and bottle openers, according to TSA officers at the regional airport. Full-sized wine bottles similarly need to be inside of checked luggage.
While many procedures in airports have been standardized since the TSA was formed November 2001 in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, it's not just the tendencies of travelers that may differ between an international airport like SEATAC and a small airport like Walla Walla's.
At the Walla Walla regional airport, travelers are screened through a single-lane checkpoint by transportation security officers. Airport security relies on a Swiss cheese model of redundancy that has become familiar during the coronavirus pandemic, layering imperfect safety measures on top of each other to shore up gaps in the other layers.
First, boarding passes are scanned and forms of identification are checked for signs of authenticity which are hidden in the document similar to anti-counterfeit measures in currency notes or bank checks. At more than 150 airports across the country, those ID checks are done by a machine, but at the Walla Walla regional airport until recently they were performed by eye. Now, a digital magnifying tool has recently been added to the airport to assist in the task, allowing officers to look for small imperfections which authenticate the ID.
Currently, a standard driver's license is enough to get passengers on a plane, but that's set to change in May 2023, when REAL ID security measures take effect at airports nationwide. At that point, travelers will need either an enhanced driver's license or state-issued photo ID, a passport, passport card or another form of ID that TSA accepts.
TSA PreCheck passengers, who pay a fee and undergo a background check, are able to skip some of the security measures during this screening of their person and possessions. Their shoes and most kind of belts can stay on, and laptops and food can stay in their bags, for instance.
At larger airports, its not uncommon to see TSA officers leading canines specially trained to detect explosives as they walk back and forth next to the line that forms next to a security checkpoint. At many smaller airports where passengers walk through metal detectors rather than the radio wave scanners where they're asked to hold their arms above their heads, officers regularly perform explosive trace detection. Officers will swab a passenger's hands, bags or other belongings and place the sample into a machine that can detect explosive chemicals.
If the machine detects a suspicious chemical, it doesn't mean the terminal is going to get evacuated: sometimes lotions or other substances can cause a false positive. But an alarm would trigger additional screening, and officers would consult with an explosives specialist.
There are many types of items that passengers are not allowed to bring with them in their carry-on bags, such as tools longer than seven inches, most liquids in a container larger than 3.4 fluid ounces, and so on. Most of these items can be checked, however. Medically necessary liquids in clear containers larger than 3.4 fluid ounces can be brought on the plane only after they have been screened using a scanner that can detect low concentrations of liquid explosives.
If an item is discovered during screening which is illegal under federal or state law, such as a butterfly knife, local law enforcement on site at the airport will be notified. Passengers found in possession of a loaded or improperly stored gun will also face civil fines.
If legal but restricted items are discovered during screening, passengers who want to board their planes have three options: drop it off outside the airport, return to the front of the airport to check the item, or relinquish the item to the TSA. It's also not necessarily always possible to go back and check the item, whether because there isn't time before a flight leaves, or if the airline is unable to return the passenger's bags from the plane for whatever reason.
Inside a secure box, the last few months of relinquished items pile up. Knives, whether crude or decorative, disguised or oversized; hatchets, hammers and wrenches; even a drill and a skill saw — all end up in the same containers.
Around every three months, items relinquished at the Walla Walla Regional Airport are handed over to Washington state, which surpluses them right alongside retired school busses and old conference tables through the Department of Enterprise Services. Many types of items relinquished by travelers, such as corkscrews or knives, will often be sold off in lots by the dozens or hundreds.
It is not uncommon for passengers to become frustrated with TSA officers during security screenings, but those officers are required to follow strict protocol, Danders said.
When Dankers joined the agency 10 years ago, she said that it was a lot more common for passengers to get combative with officers. While rare, those situations do still arise, she added.
"Instead of getting into shouting at the officers here, just ask to speak to a supervisor," Dankers said. "Not because (the officer) didn't give the right directions, but the supervisor has the authority and can have discretion. Ask for that supervisor, and they'll work to resolve that."
Emry Dinman can be reached at [email protected] or 425-941-5829.
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