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At San Diego International Airport, Tests Are Run by Passengers Whom Local TSA Managers Ask to Carry a Fake Bomb

Myth Busters

Myth

"At San Diego International Airport, tests are run by passengers whom local TSA managers ask to carry a fake bomb..."

Buster

TSA officials do not ask random passengers to carry fake bombs through checkpoints for testing at San Diego International Airport, or any other airport.

TSA routinely conducts tests to evaluate security officers' ability to detect threat items. Accurate test results depend on security officers not being able to recognize the testers who carry fake threat items through checkpoints.

To recruit volunteers for the program, TSA leadership reaches out to our federal government partners, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement, FBI, and Customs and Border Protection, as well as state and local government employees and active duty military members. Each volunteer and their supervisor must review and complete paperwork prior to participating in the program. Many volunteers are recruited through regular meetings federal security directors and their staffs have with other government entities.

TSA airport leadership can also recruit certain airport employees to participate in the program if needed, and the same paperwork rules would apply.