• The Netherlands selects ePassport authentication system from 3M

    The use of biometrics for identifying people is gaining ground by the day; the Netherlands has just selected ePassport readers from 3M to verify the identity of the more than 40 million travelers who pass through Amsterdam Schiphol Airport each year; the government will place the readers at other border crossings as well

  • GD to implement Safefreight's hazardous tracking solution

    There are more than 800,000 hazardous materials and dangerous waste shipments in the United States per day; if even one of these shipments were to be seized by terrorists and used as a weapon, results could be catastrophic; GD selects a fleet-tracking solution from a Canadian company for implementation and demonstration as part of a TSA project to improve the safety of hauling dangerous materials

  • TSA again delays deadline for passenger-airplane cargo security measures

    About 7,500 tons of cargo is transported each day in the U.S. on passenger planes;about 50,000 employees, agents, and shippers have unescorted access to that cargo; TSA wants these employees to undergo rigorous background and criminal checks, but the airline industry keeps failing to meet the agency’s deadlines

  • The U.S. and Israel will deepen cooperation on civilian aircraft protection

    Israel was the first victim of a systematic terror campaign against its aviation (by the PLO in the late 1960s), so it has learned a thing or two about protecting passenger aircraft; the U.S. and Israel will now collaborate more closely in such protective efforts

  • RAND puts ferries at the top of the list of emerging terrorist threats

    With their wide decks, slow-moving ferries are extremely vulnerable to even the slightest explosions; suicide bombers, mines, and boat-borne IEDs among likely methods of attack; screening ferry crews and increased wharf surveillance are best responses

  • DHS finds major staffing problems at TSA

    Report notes inconsistent screener/administrator ratios; staffing decisions are being made without regard to the size of the airport; inspector general recommends adjustments and singles out Hawaii for special notice

  • CBS exposes cargo security weakness with a dummy bomb

    Known Shipper program failed to prevent an unknown television producer from transporting a lead-line case in the hold of an American airlines flight; CBS was even able to dictate which flight would carry the cargo; although the box was invulnerable to canine or mechanical inspection, nobody tried to open it

  • NJ Transit tests DriveCam bus surveillance system

    Windshield-mounted cameras record data inside and outside the vehicle; at a cost of $25,000 per unit, the cost is steep, but agency hopes to make up the difference by reducing driver error and lowering liability exposure

  • U.S. Navy, DHS seek proposal for laser weapons

    U.S. defense and homeland security agencies want information on building a laser weapon capable of thwarting a demanding range of threats, among them ” Jet Skis, small-boat swarm attacks, rockets, mortars, artillery rounds, shoulder-fired missiles, electro-optic sensors, and soft, unmanned aerial vehicles,” and more

  • Coast Guard looks at threats from non-conatinerized cargo

    Break bulk and roll on/roll off cargo present a unique challenge awaiting a solution; cars, cotton bales, and turbine equipment cannot be easily moved through a portal radiation screener; a dirty bomb in a car trunk is just one of the horrifying scenerios

  • EDO to develop very-shallow-water mine-neutralizer system

    Defending shallow coastal waters against terrorists who would lay mines in order to disrupt commerce and inflict damage is becoming a big issue for the world navies; the U.S. Navy has its Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) program, and a New York company now wins a contract to develop mine sweeping operations in support of the LCS project

  • Airline industry objects to new passenger flight data proposals

    DHS may ask airlines to provide flight manifests an hour before departure; industry says change from 15 minutes will result in economic hardship and offers a 30 minute compromise; controversy is also building over revised definition of “departure”

  • GAO hammers TWIC program management

    TSA officials said to be unaware of own progress; when biometric readers are installed, sometimes no electricity is available to power them; maritime reliability remains a glaring problem; cost overruns and delays are expected

  • Saflink downsizes and refocuses on Registered Traveler program

    Following losses, the company will lay off half of its employees and attempt to grab Registered Traveler market share; competition will be stiff, but Saflink is playing to its strengths

  • DHS plan to use RFID for PASS program sparks controversy

    Decision allows border guards to screen travelers while they wait in line, but critics say privacy is at risk from digital pick-pocketers; DHS will issue protective sleeves, and no private information will be stored on the cards; Smart Card Alliance says the decision to store data on government computers magnifies, not mitigates, the risk