Security Shortlines

TSA to Test Explosives Detection Technology

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA), in partnership with the Woods Hole, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket Steamship Authority, will begin testing advanced explosives detection technology as part of TSA's Security Enhancement and Capabilities Augmentation Program (SEACAP). During the three-week pilot program, TSA will conduct explosives screening on passenger vehicles boarding the Martha's Vineyard ferry at the Woods Hole Terminal in Falmouth. The purpose of the project is to test the performance of new technologies to detect explosives while maintaining efficient operations for high-volume ferries. "This test represents one in a series of pilot programs TSA has designed to evaluate the effectiveness of emerging explosive detection technologies in the maritime environment," said John Sammon, TSA Assistant Administrator, Transportation Sector Network Management. "This is yet another tool the agency can use to respond to specific threats that arise from new intelligence or major events." TSA will use CarSCAN, a novel dual- energy transmission X-ray technology, to screen all passenger vehicles before they are driven onboard the ferry to Martha's Vineyard. Prior to boarding the ferry, drivers of passenger vehicles will be asked to proceed through the CarSCAN portal at approximately 5 mph. Images of the scanned vehicles will be monitored by TSA's Transportation Security Officers from a station adjacent to the portal. If an anomaly is detected, the vehicle will be directed to a secondary screening area for inspection by TSA-certified explosives detection K9 teams.

Sikh Security Officers to Wear Turban and Beard

Sikhs in the U.S. will be allowed to provide security in uniform at U.S. airports with beards and turbans under a legal settlement reached with the U.S Department of Homeland Security, a Sikh advocacy group claims. In a statement, Sikh Coalition said DHS has agreed to pay Raghbir Singh, a Sikh who wears a beard and turban in accordance with his religious beliefs, monetary damages for his wrongful termination in 2005. Singh is a former contracted federal security guard who was fired from his Fresno post in 2005 when his supervisors reported that his beard and religious turban failed to comply with homeland security uniform.

$4.9M for Airport Surveillance at Philadelphia International

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has earmarked $4.9 million in funding for the installation of additional closed circuit television (CCTV) systems at Philadelphia International Airport (PHL). The award, which comes from fiscal 2009 funds, will enhance the CCTV systems currently in place at PHL. CCTV technology is in place at hundreds of airports across the country. In addition to Philadelphia, TSA has collaborated with other individual airports to expand these sophisticated and integrated security networks.

EgyptAir Thwarts Attempted Hijacking

Security guards thwarted an attempted hijacking Oct. 28 on an EgyptAir flight from Istanbul to Cairo by overpowering a man who threatened crew members with a knife. A Sudanese man used a plastic knife from the in-flight meal to threaten flight attendants after the plane left Turkish airspace and demanded that the flight be diverted to Jerusalem. The flight landed safely at Cairo airport. The man was arrested and was being questioned by state security. The Boeing aircraft was carrying 87 passengers. The suspect used a passport with a phony name to board the flight. The man told flight attendants he wanted to "liberate Jerusalem."