Transportation Security Officer (TSO)

View images of checked bags and cargo, using remote screening equipment, and alert baggage screeners or handlers to any possible problems.

Decide whether baggage that triggers alarms should be searched or should be allowed to pass through.

Close entry areas following security breaches or reopen areas after receiving notification that the airport is secure.

Inform other screeners when baggage should not be opened because it might contain explosives.

Watch for potentially dangerous persons whose pictures are posted at checkpoints.

Confiscate dangerous items and hazardous materials found in opened bags and turn them over to airlines for disposal.

Inspect checked baggage for signs of tampering.

Record information about any baggage that sets off alarms in monitoring equipment.

Perform pat-down or hand-held wand searches of passengers who have triggered machine alarms, who are unable to pass through metal detectors, or who have been randomly identified for such searches.

Challenge suspicious people, requesting their badges and asking what their business is in a particular areas.

Locate suspicious bags pictured in printouts sent from remote monitoring areas, and set these bags aside for inspection.

Search carry-on or checked baggage by hand when it is suspected to contain prohibited items such as weapons.

Inform passengers of how to mail prohibited items to themselves, or confiscate these items.

Inspect carry-on items, using x-ray viewing equipment, to determine whether items contain objects that warrant further investigation.

Contact leads or supervisors to discuss objects of concern that are not on prohibited object lists.

Contact police directly in cases of urgent security issues, using phones or two-way radios.

Notify supervisors or other appropriate personnel when security breaches occur.

Send checked baggage through automated screening machines, and set bags aside for searching or rescreening as indicated by equipment.

Patrol work areas to detect any suspicious items.

Check passengers' tickets to ensure that they are valid, and to determine whether passengers have designations that require special handling, such as providing photo identification.

Test baggage for any explosive materials, using equipment such as explosive detection machines or chemical swab systems.

Monitor passenger flow through screening checkpoints to ensure order and efficiency.