US slow to upgrade airport security systems: report

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, December 09, 2003

US slow to upgrade airport security systems: report

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More than two years after the Sept. 11 hijackings that prompted a new US air security system, the US transportation authorities have been unable to decide on a new technology that could prevent terrorists from sneaking explosives into airline cabins, The Washington Post said Monday.

Airport security officials have circulated several alerts to airport directors and security screeners across the country this year, warning that terrorists might try to get explosives or bombs through security checkpoints inside items such as cameras, cell phones and stuffed animals, or inside the linings of jackets and pillows.

Several technology companies say they make systems that could thwart such tactics. But the companies say the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has been slow to review their products, according to the Post.

TSA officials say they have been reviewing more than 30,000 proposals submitted by private companies, testing some in laboratories and rejecting many because the suggested devices are too big to be installed in US airports.

Congress mandated that airports install machines to test checked luggage for explosives by Dec. 31, 2002, but issued no such deadlines for checking passengers and carry-on luggage.

US security checkpoints do have some bomb-detecting machines but they are not used routinely on every passenger, nor are they used to scan for explosives on passengers' bodies, the report said.The machines sometimes fail to find well-hidden explosives, say security experts.

The TSA's chief technology officer, Randy Null, said the TSA will begin testing machines in January at checkpoints that will scan documents, such as boarding passes and other objects handled by passengers, to see whether they contain traces of explosives. He said the machines, made by two manufacturers, are the closest to being approved by the TSA.

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