- ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - The
airport security systems of the future can see through clothes for weapons,
sniff a person for explosives and determine what's in a bottle without
opening it.
-
- See for yourself: Reuters
Photo
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- That future has landed at Orlando International Airport,
as six prototype security systems will begin operation over the next few
days. OIA, one of the world's busiest airports, was chosen in December
as the testing ground for next-generation security checkpoint
devices.
-
- However, the heightened security may come at a
price.
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- The scanner that can see through clothes leaves nothing
to the imagination, and the bomb sniffer also can test for drugs. Both
of these systems concern civil liberties advocates that these searches
may go too far.
-
- On Thursday, the Advanced Technology Checkpoint Project
made its debut to the media as government leaders looked on
approvingly.
-
- "We have to make sure that people feel safe and
secure going to our airports," said Orlando Mayor Glenda Hood,
chairwoman
of the Florida Domestic Security Advisory Panel. "Our businesses
depend
on it."
-
- Airport security has been one of the nation's top
priorities
since Sept. 11, when terrorists hijacked four passenger planes and used
them as flying bombs.
-
- Running the tests in Orlando will be the National Safe
Skies Alliance, a nonprofit organization that evaluates new security
devices
and reports its findings to the federal Transportation Security
Administration.
-
- Tom Jensen, president/CEO of Safe Skies, said the
technology
at Orlando International is some of the most advanced in the world and
will only get better.
-
- "A few years ago, a whole roomful of machinery had
the same kind of power that your little laptop has today," Jensen
said. "Same thing's going to happen with all this. We're going to
find the equipment easier to install, with lighter weight and taking up
less space to do the same job."
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- The checkpoint will feature six security systems: three
for passengers and three for carry-on baggage. Only passengers who
volunteer
will go through the checkpoint.
-
- One system, the Rapiscan Secure 1000, uses low-energy
X-rays to search a person through clothing. When Rapiscan project manager
Bryan Allman scanned himself, detected was a plastic knife hidden in his
shirt pocket.
-
- However, the outline of his body ó every inch
of it ó also was clearly visible. Perhaps proving the machine's
revealing nature, airport officials refused to put a woman in the
scanner.
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- Security officials said the scanner would only be used
when a passenger shows an "anomaly." Also, the security worker
examining the scan would be the same sex as the person being
searched.
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- The potential for complaints about the invasiveness of
the search didn't seem to bother Allman.
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- "Everybody has to learn that the world has changed
since Sept. 11, and the world needs a much more thorough type of
screening,"
Allman said.
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- But the American Civil Liberties Union (news - web sites)
says the scan is too intrusive.
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- "This, of course, is a virtual strip-search,"
ACLU associate director Barry Steinhardt said. "There's no question
this has tremendous potential for embarrassment."
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- Steinhardt pointed out there have been incidents across
the nation where male security workers harassed female passengers during
hands-on searches.
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- "We fear this is going to be indiscriminately
used,"
Steinhardt said. "We know that even less-invasive searches are being
abused at airports."
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- Another system, a little larger than a phone booth, blows
quick bursts of air at a person, then "sniffs" the air to detect
any traces of explosives. The Barringer Ionscan 400B has a library of 40
types of explosives against which it can judge results.
-
- The Ionscan also can be quickly adjusted to test for
60 types of drug residue, which Hood praised as a bonus stemming from the
war on terrorism. "The ability to use technology to be able to stop
some of the drug trafficking, we're always looking for the opportunity
to deal with that war, as well," Hood said.
-
- But Steinhardt asked: "Do we really want to be
turning
airport security personnel into the DEA?" He added that searching
for drugs would distract checkpoint workers from their true purpose:
keeping
planes safe.
-
- Jensen said Safe Skies won't determine whether a security
system is too invasive, saying that was a policy question to be decided
by the government.
-
- However, Jensen said Safe Skies would mention to the
Transportation Security Administration complaints of invasiveness if they
cause problems.
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