A LEO with an operational need to travel armed must present acceptable credentials to the airline as outlined in 49 CFR § 1544.219. In addition, a LEO must complete any required airline paperwork, referred to as Person Carrying Firearm (PCFA) forms.
TSA officers are not law enforcement. This means that if they find something on your person or in your bags, they cannot arrest you. They can simply detain you until a law enforcement officer arrives.
However, threatening, hitting, disobeying, or interfering with an airport screener (a TSA, or Transportation Security Administration employee) violates federal law and can result in imprisonment and fines.
TSA does not prohibit photographing, videotaping or filming at security checkpoints, as long as the screening process is not interfered with or sensitive information is not revealed.
The unit must declare weapons and ammunition to the aircraft operator. Weapons must be unloaded. Weapons must be collectively secured in a crate and banded or individually locked in a hard-sided case.
Termination for Poor Performance – TSA employees who receive poor performance reviews can face termination in some cases. Termination for Pre–Employment Issues – TSA employees can also face termination for pre-employment issues (i.e., submitting a resume with false information).
Government officials traveling with approved federal law enforcement security details are not required to undergo security screening, TSA spokesman Nicholas Kimball said, speaking about checkpoint security at airports.
TSA may also determine that an applicant is not eligible if the security threat assessment process reveals extensive foreign or domestic criminal convictions, a conviction for a serious crime not listed in Part A or B below (including some lesser included offenses of serious crimes; e.g. murder/voluntary manslaughter), ...
For frequent flyers, you will notice that there is usually a police officer present at many TSA security checkpoints. That is because, while they are authorized to detain you, if you violate the law, they cannot arrest you. They must call law enforcement officers, like airport police or local police, to arrest flyers.