Additional Recovery Act-funded Advanced Imaging Technology Deployments
Department
of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano today announced
deployments of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA)-funded advanced
imaging technology (AIT) to eight additional airports nationwide—strengthening
security at U.S. airports while creating local jobs. She also announced that
TSA has installed its 200th total AIT unit nationwide.
“Deploying
advanced imaging technology at these airports strengthens our ability to
protect the traveling public in the face of evolving threats to aviation
security,” said Secretary Napolitano. “Through the Recovery Act, we are able to
continue our accelerated deployment of enhanced technology as part of our
layered approach to security at airports nationwide.”
“Advanced
imaging technology is an integral tool in TSA’s layered counterterrorism
approach that enables us to stay ahead of evolving threats to aviation
security,” said TSA Administrator John S. Pistole. “We remain committed to
deploying imaging technology to protect the traveling public.”
In
addition to the airports Secretary Napolitano announced earlier this year, the
Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will begin to deploy AIT units to
the following eight airports:
Cleveland
Hopkins International Airport (CLE)
James
M. Cox Dayton International Airport (DAY)
Newark
Liberty International Airport (EWR)
Louis
Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY)
Memphis
International Airport (MEM)
LA/Ontario
International Airport (ONT)
Portland
International Airport (PDX)
Lambert-St.
Louis International Airport (STL)
Many
factors are taken into consideration before AIT units are deployed including
airport readiness, checkpoint infrastructure, and capacity to ensure privacy
protections—including a separate, remotely located room for viewing images.
Additional airports will be announced in the future.
Advanced
imaging technology is designed to bolster security by safely screening
passengers for metallic and non-metallic threats—including weapons, explosives
and other objects concealed under layers of clothing. The ARRA-funded machines
will include the latest security enhancements to detect new and evolving
threats.
TSA
ensures passenger privacy through the anonymity of AIT images—a privacy filter
is applied to blur all images; in the operational mode images are permanently
deleted immediately once viewed and are never stored, transmitted or printed;
and the officer viewing the image is stationed in a remote location so as not
to come into contact with passengers being screened.
Imaging
technology is safe for all travelers. The amount of radiation from a
backscatter scan is equivalent to two minutes of flight on an airplane and
energy emitted by millimeter wave technology is thousands of times less than
what is permitted for a cell phone.
ARRA, signed into law by President Obama on Feb. 17, 2009, committed more than $3 billion for homeland security projects through DHS and the General Services Administration. Of the $1 billion allocated to TSA for aviation security projects, $734 million is dedicated to screening checked baggage and $266 million is allocated for checkpoint explosives detection technologies.