If it is a condition of employment and it takes the employees time, the employee should be paid for it.
I worked in aerospace and everyone was searched exiting the gate. Lunch boxes opened, backpacks opened, briefcases opened. Everyone was ready for it and it only took a few seconds.
I heard a story about a guy wearing a raincoat on a hot, clear August day. Nothing suspicious here. As he wobbled toward the gate they stopped him. He had a big vice tied between his legs. Not worth losing a job over. But then again he probably not too good at his job either.
When I was young I worked retail at a major store for awhile. We couldn’t carry purses in to work. They issued us clear, see through, zippered bags to carry our personal items. Anyone could see what you had in there and I noticed they would look without actually searching it.