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To further the fear of the US becoming a police state, the TSA has taken it upon themselves to create a team of agents (VIPR Teams) to patrol train stations and other public events (sporting events, music festivals, rodeos, highway weigh stations and train terminals as reported below by the NY Times).  So now we not only have to worry about them patting down grannies and toddlers at airports, but at the local baseball game or circus.  Seriously, though, this is what happens when you give a government agency a huge budget and little oversight, they find ways to 'create' job security.

 

A scary response from the TSA about these VIPR Teams and their function outside of airport security:

 

T.S.A. officials respond that the random searches are “special needs” or “administrative searches” that are exempt from probable cause because they further the government’s need to prevent terrorist attacks.

 

So, you can be randomly searched by TSA at your local sporting event and they do not need a warrant or probably cause......

 

T.S.A. Expands Duties Beyond Airport Security

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08...t-security.html?_r=0

 

Beam me up, Scotty, there's no intelligent life here......

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Also from the article -

 

In 2011, the VIPR teams were criticized for screening and patting down people after they got off an Amtrak train in Savannah, Ga. As a result, the Amtrak police chief briefly banned the teams from the railroad’s property, saying the searches were illegal.       

 

In April 2012, during a joint operation with the Houston police and the local transit police, people boarding and leaving city buses complained that T.S.A. officers were stopping them and searching their bags. (Local law enforcement denied that the bags were searched.)

There is a clear precedent for searching the belongings of an individual on a mass transit system such as a bus. I'm not sure how they will bypass that SCOTUS decision. I must agree here. I understand the TSA screening at airports, due to the frequency of terrorist attempts involving airplanes, but it would be illogical to think a bus would be utilized. We complain about patting down grannies and toddlers, but if the agents chooses someone based on appearance and behavior, the public will get up in arms about "profiling." It's really a no win situation for the policy. The sporting event issue is a different story. Every major event where there are gates are subject to search now. You can't bring in a bag without it being searched. I'm a big music fan. I go to 4 or 5 concerts a year. I'm patted down by security at every one. If I don't want a pat down, I wouldn't go. The choice is mine.

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