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Airports testing new security methods

baggage

November 6, 1996
Web posted at: 1:30 a.m. EST

ATLANTA (CNN) -- As fears of terrorism in the skies loom large in the United States and abroad, the race is on to find new and affordable technologies to thwart potential saboteurs.

In the United States, the Clinton administration is adding muscle to airport security by installing new baggage-screening machines in dozens of airports, doubling federal security personnel and taking additional, smaller steps to make airline travel safer.

New security measures already are going into effect at major airports such as Los Angeles International, which recently installed a new perimeter fence and parking-lot television cameras.

Baldwin

Security was topic No. 1 at a recent international airport convention in Atlanta. The emphasis was on the technology needed to screen 100 percent of passenger bags, a time- consuming, expensive approach commonly used in European airports.

"When you look at the cost of (the wreck of) Pan Am 103 and the claims that have come in at well over a billion dollars, that starts to make 100 percent screening rather cheap," said Frank Baldwin of Eaglecrest Security. Pam Am Flight 103 was brought down by a bomb over Lockerbie, Scotland, in 1988.

luggage scanner

But some people traveling through Atlanta's airport seemed worried about current security screening in the United States.

"I think something else should be done," said one traveler. "I heard in Europe they have a lot of airport security devices they're using that they're not using here in the states for different reasons."

"They do kind of give the impression they're checking. But I think they don't necessarily focus on the screen," said another.

High-tech screeners on the way

scanner

The latest high-tech baggage screeners with advanced X-ray capabilities can cost as much as $1 million each. The devices, already widely used internationally, are scheduled to be deployed at dozens of U.S. airports.

A smaller screening system that tests materials for explosives costs $50,000. Also demonstrated at the convention was a similar British system, used in Atlanta during the Olympics, that detects major plastic explosives.

No baggage screening system is 100 percent effective. But many airline security analysts say airports can go a long way toward reaching that goal through a combination of high technology and a technique known as passenger profiling.

Bellamy

Passenger profiling zeros in on travelers whose activities seem unusual.

Paul Bellamy of Eaglecrest Security explained how it works.

"Prior to the passenger arriving, there will be a scale of his profile threat given by how he purchased the ticket," he said. "Is he a frequent flyer? If he's never flown before and paid cash the day before ... is he going to a potential risk destination?"

Short of deciding not to fly, passengers must continue to put their faith in airport security officials, who are trying to stay one step ahead of terrorists.


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