Schaffer v. State

OPINION

MANNHEIMER, Judge.

When Marina Schaffer checked in for a flight at the Fairbanks airport, the Alaska Airlines ticket agent affixed special white tags to her carry-on luggage — a purse and a backpack. The ticket agent did this because Schaffer fit a “profile” published by the Federal Aviation Administration, a set of criteria designed to identify people who might be carrying weapons, explosives, or incendiary devices. Unbeknownst to Schaffer, the white tag was a directive to the people at the X-ray security station, telling them to hand-search Schaffer’s purse and backpack.

When Schaffer…