TSA Searches Valet-Parked Cars at Certain Airports

The TSA is now searching cars. The Transportation Security Administration at a New York airport is directing valet attendants to search parked cars for explosives without people knowing about it.

Laurie Iacuzza recently flew out of Rochester International Airport. When she returned from her vacation, she found a yellow notice inside her car which said that the TSA had searched her vehicle while she was gone, News10NBC reports.

"Thank you for your patronage," the notice read. "Your vehicle has been inspected under TSA regulations."

A TSA policy says that TSA agents or those directed by the TSA can search vehicles in secure areas at random and only if drivers are notified that there car may be subject to a search. Some airports mention this on their website.

John McCaffrey, federal security director for the Rochester airport, confirmed that cars were being searched at the airport, but it only applies to valet cars because they are right in front of the airport.

"Those vehicles that are in the garage, short-term [and] long-term parking, even if they carry pretty large amounts of explosives, they would not cause damage to the front of the airport," he told NBC. "But for those who use the valet, the car could be there for a half hour or an hour so there is a vulnerability."

There is a large sign at the valet attendants' airport kiosk which warns drivers that their car may be searched, but Iacuzza says the sign wasn't there when she dropped her car off.

"They never mentioned it to me when I booked the valet or when I picked up the car or when I dropped it off," she said.

There are no other reports of valet-parked cars being searched at other airports around the country but some airports do notify drivers that their car may be screened. For instance, Miami International Airport has a note on its website saying that "all vehicles entering [the airport] may be inspected, as well as baggage in the vehicle." The Gerald R. Ford International Airport in Grand Rapids, Michigan also noted on its website that "vehicles entering the terminal curbside or parking facilities may be subject to inspection.'"

The TSA also has a program, authorized by the Department of Homeland Security, called Visible Intermodal Prevention Response program (VIPR). This program lets the TSA work with law enforcement officials to "augment security of any mode of transportation," which means they can perform screenings on highways, in train stations, at airports, or other transportation areas.

This program sparked outrage in 20122 when vehicles were inspected on highways In Tennessee and in 2012 when Amtrak passengers had their luggage screened.