Two groups have launched an online petition against Metro's plan to randomly search bags.
The D.C. Bill of Rights Coalition and the Montgomery County Civil Rights Coalition said the plan violates a person's Fourth Amendment rights, which bar unreasonable searches.
The petition reads, "We the undersigned oppose random bag searches of [M]etro passengers as unconstitutional, ineffective and misguided. We demand that WMATA immediately discontinue the searches."
Metro announced the plan last week to "conduct random inspections of carry-on items, as part of the continuously changing law enforcement programs designed to keep the system safe." The announcement drew mixed reactions among passengers.
A Metro spokesperson said no searches have been conducted so far, although they could start at any time.
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