TSA: Keeping Travelers Safe by Inspecting Cars Left in Valet Parking

Kimberly Paxton

Now not only does the TSA thoroughly inspect your person and your carry-on bags – they can order an inspection of the car you left behind also.

A New York woman was shocked to return home from a trip to find a notice on her car informing her that it had been searched after her departure from Greater Rochester International Airport.

Apparently, only cars that are valet parked are subject to this treatment. Valet attendants are under orders of the TSA to search the vehicles that are left with them. (Valet attendants are NOT employees of the Transportation Security Administration.)

News10NBC spoke with the airport’s TSA director.

Berkeley Brean asked, “Are the cars in the short term lots and long term lots getting searched as well?” 

John McCaffery, TSA, said, “No, those vehicles that are in the garage, short term long term parking, even if they carry pretty large amounts of explosives, they would not cause damage to the front of the airport. But for those who use the valet, the car could be there for a half hour or an hour so there is a vulnerability.” (source)

This heretofore unannounced policy has only been going on for about a month. The TSA says that it is a “proactive move” that is “part of the overall security plan.”

We should feel safer already, knowing that the TSA is empowering parking attendants to rifle through travelers’ glove boxes and inspect the contents of their vehicles’ trunks.

Kimberly Paxton, a staff writer for the Daily Sheeple, where this article first appeared, is based out of upstate New York.

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