• TSA facing renewed criticism over racial profiling

    Accusations of racial profiling have triggered renewed criticism of the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) Screening of Passengers by Observation Techniques (SPOT) program

  • Wearing shoes at airport checkpoints could be a new reality

    As part of its continuing efforts to make security procedures at airport checkpoints easier for travelers, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is actively seeking technological solutions that would allow passengers to keep their shoes on

  • NICE joins European transportation security consortium

    Secured Urban Transportation - European Demonstration (SECUR-ED) consortium aims create a pan-European improvement in mass transportation security which promotes the entire public transport sector; the consortium comprises thirty-nine members, which include all the major stakeholders from across Europe; NICE Systems announced it is a member of the consortium

  • U.K. launches program to improve aircraft, crew protection

    The U.K. Ministry of Defense says it has begun a development program to make aircraft better equipped in the hostile environments that U.K. aircraft are likely to encounter during future operations

  • Pierce County Washington effort to upgrade marine fleet stymied by cost

    The Pierce County Sheriff’s Department needs a new patrol boat. The problem? A $730,000 price tag which has county officials balking

  • TSA chief says no new study needed on airport body scanners

    Weeks after agreeing in principal to an independent study on the health effects of full-body scanners, TSA administrator John Pistole told the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation that a new study is not needed to confirm the machines’ safety

  • Military personnel next in line to zip through airport security

    Members of the U.S. military could be the next batch of individuals the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) allows to bypass intrusive airport security checkpoint screening procedures; the agency is currently exploring such an option through a pilot program, launched last week, at a medium-size airport in California

  • LA airports to install biometric scanners

    Employees at three Los Angeles airports will be turning in their access badges and instead rely on biometrics to gain entry to secure areas

  • Increasing durability, cutting cost of railroad maintenance

    Every year, companies that own railroad track across the United States spend millions of dollars maintaining ballast, the crushed rock underneath railroad ties and steel rails; in addition to the high cost, railroads must reroute trains around operations that maintain ballast, delaying the delivery of freight; researchers offer a solution

  • Europe bans the use of backscatter body scanners

    In its approval of full body scanners for use at airports last week, the European Union banned the use of scanners that relied on backscatter radiation due to safety concerns; these types of scanners are widely used in the United States and have been source of sharp criticism, yet the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has continued to insist that they are safe

  • New explosives detectors allow Aussies to carry liquids

    Travelers in Australia will soon be allowed to bring liquids on board airplanes thanks to sophisticated new explosives detection technology

  • Cargo security: there is a difference between “tracking” and “chain of custody”

    For cargo to be under a tight chain of custody, it requires security throughout its carriage from stuffing, verification, and sealing at point of origin, confirmed by an authorized agent who arms a container’s security system and seals the container. All elements of cargo information, container identification in which it was sealed, identify of person verifying cargo, and all who had access to the cargo during movement and relating dates and times must be maintained electronically in the control system of the secure servers of the container security device provider.

  • Former presidential nominee calls for abolishment of TSA and DHS

    George McGovern, the former Senator from South Dakota and the Democratic presidential candidate in 1972, is calling for the abolishment of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) as well as DHS; in his new book, “What It Means to be a Democrat,” McGovern describes existing airport security measures as “ridiculous”

  • CBP launches program to expedite air cargo screening

    Under a new pilot program, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) aims to streamline the entry process for air cargo; the new process, dubbed the “Simplified Entry Pilot,” is designed to reduce the number of customs holds that delay air cargo and help give shippers a better idea of when they can take possession of their goods

  • Railroad authority investigates threat of unattended trains

    The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is currently investigating the dangers of unattended freight trains, especially those that carry hazardous materials, following a report by a Seattle television station; in a segment called “Problem Solvers,” KOMO News investigators boarded several freight trains throughout the state without encountering security personnel or crew members