TSA quietly testing new screening procedures for carry-on bags

LOS ANGELES (CBS) To combat terrorism, the Transportation Security Administration says it’s testing new procedures for carry-ons.

Airport travelers now have to take off their shoes, and remove their laptops and liquids over 3.4 ounces.

But get ready to declutter your carry-ons even more. At some airports around the country, you’ll have to add more to the list.

Items like food, paper and additional electronics bigger than a cellphone may soon have to be placed in a separate bin.

The TSA has been quietly testing this at several small airports, and is now expanding to larger ones like Los Angeles International, Boston and Fort Lauderdale.

The TSA says it wants to eliminate false positives that occur when items like wires and electronics can look like weapons. It says that screeners can’t often see everything in overstuffed bags.

Marshall McClain is an expert on airport security and says what’s needed is more police — not more screening.

“I don’t think it’s going to streamline the process,” McClain said.

“To truly have something to deter… you’re still going to have to have armed police officers to do that, rather than worrying about whether people have too many papers in their luggage,” he added.

Travelers stuff their bags to avoid check-in fees and say this extra screening will only make flying more difficult.

So far, it appears that pre-check passengers are exempt from these new policies. The TSA says this is all in an effort to make flying safer.