Security Shortlines

Boys in the Hood When first responders came to the DHS Science and Technology Directorate, heading their list was an emergency escape hood weighing under a pound, folding to the dimensions of a DVD case, and able to be put on in ten seconds. Furthermore, the hood needed to be maintenance-free, filter nerve...

For immediate service; more information; and multi-user access (site license), non-profit organization, educational institute pricing, contact Karen Garner kgarner@accessintel.com at (301) 354-1612.

This story is only available to paid subscribers. Please login below with your username and password if you are a subscriber.

Username:
Password:
	What is my password?

Subscribe     Trial

Boys in the Hood

When first responders came to the DHS Science and Technology Directorate, heading their list was an emergency escape hood weighing under a pound, folding to the dimensions of a DVD case, and able to be put on in ten seconds. Furthermore, the hood needed to be maintenance-free, filter nerve, blood, and blister agents, remove toxic industrial chemicals, and fit two-to-a-breast pocket - one for the protectee, the other for the protector. Avon Protection Systems of Wiltshire, UK (with offices in Cadillac, MI) was selected in early 2007 to develop and produce a mask with some very tight specifications. Designated the EH-15, this innovative mask provides at least 15 minutes of protection against chemicals and biologics, has a three-year shelf life, and highly efficient particulate filters. In October 2007, it successfully passed S&T's Design Review. In February, the EH-15 completed its Critical Design Reviews. To date, 10 prototypes have been made and the first batch of EH-15 masks is to be produced in the April/May timeframe.

Safety (and Security) in Numbers

There's safety (and security) in numbers ... especially when those numbers are random. That's the lesson learned from a DHS-sponsored research project out of the University of Southern California (USC). The research is already helping to beef up security at LAX airport in Los Angeles, and it could soon be used across the country to predict and minimize risk. Here's how it works: Computer software records the locations of routine, random vehicle checkpoints and canine searches at the airport. Police then provide data on possible terrorist targets and their relative importance. These data may change from one day to the next, or if there have been any security breaches or suspicious activity. The computer runs, and--voila--police get a model of where to go, and when. The software comes up with random decisions that are based on calculated probabilities of a terrorist attack at those locations, using mathematical algorithms. The result: Security with airtight unpredictability. With the software, it's extremely difficult to predict police operations. The Center for Risk and Economic Analysis of Terrorism Events (CREATE), based at USC, works with government agencies and other researchers to evaluate the risks, the costs, and the consequences of terrorism. The center helps policymakers set priorities and find the best, most efficient ways to counter threats and prevent attacks.

Bi-Coastal Launch of Millimeter Wave Imaging Technology

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will conduct millimeter wave technology pilots at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK). This technology is currently in use at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. Millimeter wave detects weapons, explosives and other threat items concealed under layers of clothing without any physical contact. It is a promising alternative to the physical pat down. At LAX, millimeter wave will be used in a random continuous protocol. Alternative screening measures will be offered to individuals who decline to go through millimeter wave when asked to do so. The LAX pilot will enable TSA to examine millimeter wave's operational capability, throughput, ease of use and privacy perceptions by the traveling public. The metal detector will remain in place at the checkpoint. The passenger will pass through it after going through the millimeter wave machine. Millimeter wave at JFK will be piloted as a secondary screening device similar to its use in Phoenix. The technology is a voluntary alternative to a pat-down during secondary screening. During the ongoing Phoenix pilot, 90 percent of passengers have chosen the technology over the traditional pat down. Millimeter wave uses electromagnetic waves to generate an image based on the energy reflected from the body. Active millimeter wave technology passes harmless electromagnetic waves over the human body to create a robotic image. It is safe and the energy emitted by millimeter wave technology is 10,000 times less than a cell phone. TSA recently announced it will purchase and deploy 30 more of the machines this year.

U.S. to Tear Down 'Virtual Fence'

The federal government is scrapping a $20 million prototype of its highly touted "virtual fence" on the Arizona-Mexico border because the system is failing to adequately alert border patrol agents to illegal crossings. The move comes just two months after Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff announced his approval of the fence built by Boeing. The fence consists of nine electronic surveillance towers along a 28-mile section of border southwest of Tucson. Boeing is to replace the prototype with a series of towers equipped with communications systems, new cameras and new radar capability. A glaring shortcoming of the project was the time lag between the electronic detection of movement along the border and the transmission of a camera image to agents patrolling the area, the General Accountability Office reported. Boeing was awarded an $860 million contract to provide the technology, physical fences and vehicle barriers.