You can do it. I've done it many times. I always let the airline know (and for some reason, they don't seem interested or care). What I would recommend is request in-person search with the TSA. The last time that I did not, I had left my suitcase unlocked, and the TSA went into it and did the search (they leave you a note to let you know that they have done that). Since there have been news stories about the TSA agents stealing items (and not being prosecuted for it due to national security reasons). I would say that it's best to have a manual search done in their presence. However, note that they do have the right to break into your luggage anytime and if something ends up missing, they can't be held liable for it. If it's something really expensive, maybe best to send it via the mail.
Hope this helps!
DanceMan