Dept of Homeland Security Announces Advanced Imaging Technology for Airport Security

Secretary Janet Napolitano from the Department of Homeland Security announced deployments of advanced imaging technology (AIT) units purchased with American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds to 28 additional airports.

By Jennifer Kern | May 17, 2010

In an effort to strengthen security in airports nationwide, the Department of Homeland Security has announced the "deployments of advanced imaging technology (AIT) units purchased with American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds to 28 additional airports."

"Deploying advanced imaging technology at these airports strengthens our ability to protect the traveling public in the face of evolving threats to aviation security," said Secretary Janet Napolitano of the Homeland Security. "Through the Recovery Act, we are able to continue our accelerated deployment of enhanced technology as part of our layered approach to security at airports nationwide."

The AIT units are made through backscatter technology which projects a low level X-ray beam over the body to create a reflection of the body onto the monitor. The low dose of radiation, or the backscatter technology, was confirmed to be okay by the Food and Drug Administration. The purpose of the AIT units is to improve airport security by screening passengers for non-metallic and metallic threats that may be hidden underneath clothes such as weapons or explosives.

Napolitano had already announced 11 airports on March 5th, 2010, but now the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will deploy AIT units to 28 airports starting this summer. The airports are listed below:

•    Albuquerque International Sunport (ABQ)*
•    Boise Airport (BOI)
•    Brownsville/South Padre Island International Airport (BRO) ?
•    Buffalo Niagara International Airport (BUF)
•    Corpus Christi International Airport (CRP)
•    Denver International Airport (DEN)*
•    Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW)*
•    El Paso International Airport (ELP)
•    Fort Wayne International Airport (FWA)
•    Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport (GPT)?
•    Harlingen/Valley International Airport (HRL)
•    Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL)*
•    Houston William P. Hobby Airport (HOU)
•    La Guardia International Airport (LGA)
•    Laredo International Airport (LRD)
•    Lihue Airport (LIH)
•    Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (SJU)
•    McAllen Miller Airport (MFE)
•    Omaha Eppley Airfield Airport (OMA)
•    Orlando International Airport (MCO)
•    Phoenix Sky-Harbor International Airport (PHX)*
•    Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT)
•    Raleigh/Durham International Airport (RDU)*
•    Reno-Tahoe International Airport (RNO)
•    Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA)*
•    Spokane International Airport (GEG)
•    T. F. Green International Airport (PVD)
•    Tulsa International Airport (TUL)*

Additional airports will be added to the list in the nearby future. Before AIT units are deployed into the airports, many factors are considered including: "airport readiness, checkpoint infrastructure, and capacity to ensure privacy protections—including a separate, remotely located room for viewing images."

TSA has taken strict precautions to protect the privacy of its passengers. The image from the scan cannot be "stored, transmitted or printed, and is deleted immediately once viewed. The passengers also have a right to refuse to use the technology scanning.



Related Keywords : security , Federal systems

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