No matter how many agents make their presence known, and no matter
how high tech the equipment can get, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) says that hundreds of passengers still try to evade the security checkpoints at
airports.
More than 300 in the last year, in
fact.
Since March of 2023, numerous airline passengers have tried to
circumvent security and access part of an airport where they are not supposed
to be.
Whether they do it intentionally or not, very few people are
actually successful, although the TSA declined to give the number of passengers
who are able to evade the security checkpoints. Of those 300 incidents, about two-thirds tried to enter
the secure area of the airport at the point where passengers exit.
Another
80 bypassed the TSA where agents check IDs but were still screened and got
their luggage through security. About 85 percent of them were stopped and
arrested for trespassing.
A
TSA spokesperson said most of the incidents were the result of
"inadvertent and unintentional actions by the passenger. … In those rare
instances where a passenger attempts to breach a portion of the security
process, TSA immediately investigates and takes corrective action."
Harmless But Dangerous
So,
most of the security breaches are harmless, but dangerous since the TSA does
not know the true intent of the passenger.
And,
unfortunately, there have been many examples of people who have gained access
to an aircraft without actually having a boarding pass.
The
TSA only considers it a "security breach" when someone completely
evades security screening.
TSA
said many airports are working on new technology and updates at their exits to
ensure people can only go one way.
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