Search individuals for illegal or dangerous items.

Search individuals for illegal or dangerous items. is a detailed work activity in O*NET — a concrete unit of work shared across 5 occupations and seen in 5 occupation-specific tasks. It rolls up into the broader work activity Maintain safety or security. in Performing General Physical Activities .

Detailed work activities are the most granular shared layer in O*NET's work-activity hierarchy (Generalized → Intermediate → Detailed → occupation-specific task). The figures below describe how this activity shows up across the economy and what independent studies measure about AI and this kind of work — not a prediction that the work will be automated.

AI exposure

Of the 5 tasks under this activity that the OpenAI / Eloundou “GPTs are GPTs” study rated, 0 (0%) are flagged as directly exposed to language models (E1) or exposed via model-powered tools (E2).

Exposure estimates overlap with model capabilities — whether a model could speed the task up — not whether the work will be done by software. Observed AI use is augmentation and assistance today, not jobs replaced.

Member tasks

Occupation-specific tasks O*NET maps to this detailed work activity, most important first.

• Screen persons entering courthouse using magnetometers, x-ray machines, and other devices to collect and retain unauthorized firearms and other contraband. · Bailiffs · importance 4.7 · no direct exposure
• Perform pat-down or hand-held wand searches of passengers who have triggered machine alarms, who are unable to pass through metal detectors, or who have been randomly identified for such searches. · Transportation Security Screeners · importance 4.7 · no direct exposure
• Supervise or perform searches of inmates or their quarters to locate contraband items. · First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers · importance 4.6 · no direct exposure
• Search prisoners and vehicles and conduct shakedowns of cells for valuables and contraband, such as weapons or drugs. · Correctional Officers and Jailers · importance 4.5 · no direct exposure
• Screen individuals and belongings to prevent passage of prohibited materials using walkthrough detectors, wands, or bag searches. · First-Line Supervisors of Security Workers · importance 4.4 · no direct exposure

Occupations that perform this

• Bailiffs
• Transportation Security Screeners
• First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers
• Correctional Officers and Jailers
• First-Line Supervisors of Security Workers

Sources for this page

Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.

• O*NET 30.3 U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development
• “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130 OpenAI / academic

Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.

@misc{singulariki-search-individuals-for-illegal-or-dangerous-items,
  title  = {Search individuals for illegal or dangerous items.},
  author = {{Singulariki}},
  year   = {2026},
  note   = {O*NET 30.3; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130. Accessed June 7, 2026},
  url    = {https://singulariki.com/detailed-activities/search-individuals-for-illegal-or-dangerous-items}
}