WJZ Gets A Look Inside BWI's TSA Lost-And-Found

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Behind a nondescript door on the baggage claim level of BWI airport are thousands of items the TSA has recovered from checkpoints.

The small lost and found office has cabinets overflowing with everything from belts to books to glasses, IDs and lots of laptops, which are easier than you'd think to lose.

"So here's your laptop, you've taken it out of your carry-on case so we can good look at it at the checkpoint with our x-ray machine," says Lisa Farbstein, a TSA spokeswoman. "You put it in your bin, right? Now, if that's the only thing you have in your bin and then you're at the checkpoint and you glance back, it's almost the same color as the bin."

When WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren was there recently, there was a bottle of maple syrup on one of the shelves.

He says some people leave full suitcases, and chargers of all kinds.

"People have left dentures, I've had dentures before" says Ayanna Caesar, who has worked at the lost and found for two years. "But no one's ever called for it, I was shocked."

She starts her days listening to messages from people who believe they've left things behind.

The agency generally keeps the items for 30 days, and they hope that what you might have lost at the airport isn't lost forever.

"They're just like 'Oh my god, thank you so much,' you know, 'I'm so glad that you found it,' and 'I've been looking for it for such a long time.'"

The airport maintains its own separate lost and found office for items found outside of TSA checkpoints.

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