Airports testing new security methods
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.
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.
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
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.
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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