I would say that, in any airport, past the checkpoint, any officer of the law could request, and expect a showing of, a ticket by any individual if the officer can articulate some aspect of the situation that would give rise to possible worries that the person is violating the law/regulations by not having a ticket and being beyond the checkpoint. Unlike the days of old, when anyone could pass through the security checkpoint and wait for arrivals, or sit with departing people, you have to be ticketed to pass the checkpoint (with a very limited number of exceptions). It would seem to me that this would be analogous to a Terry stop, where some limited intrusion into your privacy and limited holding of your person would be justified, again, assuming that the officer can articulate something about the situation that justifies an effort at investigating the existence of the ticket.
And for all I know (I don’t keep up on these things), there may well be a law or regulation that requires that you show your ticket when requested by an officer, just as many states now require that you identify yourself in response to a request from an officer to do so. In which case, refusal to produce the ticket might well be a legal violation. :eek:
There are specific laws governing security in airports. Whether those laws violate any constitutional rights, I’ll leave for the lawyers to tackle. I’d be willing to bet that the same laws apply in Puerto Rico as in the rest of the US, though. I think phrasing the question in terms of “rights” is going a little overboard.
Well, I do have a right to remain silent. If I don’t say a word to the police officer and show my ticket to the boarding agent, completely ignoring any request the officer may have, can they put their hands on me to stop me from boarding the plane?
Ok, so you do realize that there is something about you that draws the attention of law enforcement. Imagine that you had a condition that required you to wear a long coverall and dark glasses in the middle of summer in San Juan. Same deal. They are not trying to piss you off, they are just doing their job of spotting what’s different and seeing to it.
There is all kinds of people trying to explore the limits of their rights in airports and other “stressful situations” for the authorities. Some people make a point of flying without ID. It can be done. It just marks them for a ton of grief which they seem to think is a good deal in exchange for proving a point.
It is up to you to decide whether this is something worth pursuing. If you do have the right to refuse responding to law enforcement in an airport in the US, then you also have the same right in PR. Those laws are the same here. It does, however, mark you as a person of interest. If you can live with their attention, then go for it. Many would decide that it is easier to just play along.
If you are feeling particularly vengeful against the system, then produce the ticket and then talk to her for half an hour about your condition. That will teach her.
Ask yourself what you’d do if the location were JFK and the cop were an officer of the Ports Authority of NY and NJ Police. The legal/constitutional aspects of the interaction would be the same for all intents and purposes.
