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Bags Now Being Searched at Random in Metro Subway Stations
UPDATE: Click here for the outcome of today's bag search
This program started nine months ago, but depending on your route, daily riders may have never seen this. Via federal funding for train security, LA County Sheriff Deputies are teaming up with the Department of Homeland Security for a program to randomly check your bags. "Basically, [DHS] realized trains are neglected," in terms of security, explained Sgt. Leo Bauer of the Sheriff's Department over the phone. When the program first began, checkpoints like this were very infrequent, but now the program is up and running a little more consistently, around four times a week at random times at random subway stations. But don't worry about standing in long security line like at the airport. "If we did every person, we'd be shutting down the rail system," Bauer said pointing out that the bag checks are random.
The NYPD starting doing this on their own in 2005 causing people to have concern that they would racially profile commuters. This program is under DHS' Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and so far, we haven't seen any of those officers in their bright blue outfits and latex gloves.
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