WASHINGTON (TVR) – The Transportation Security Administration is deploying experimental, non-invasive devices to help detect an improvised explosive device (IED) inside America’s transit hubs.
“Along with industry partners, we are committed to identifying, testing and deploying technology that addresses threats to transportation across the spectrum,” TSA Administrator David Pekoske said in a statement.
Courtesy: TSA
The gray, rectangular device, known as a “stand-off explosive detection unit,” sits on top of a tripod and is positioned at entrances, departure platforms, and other areas where travelers congregate.
The TSA recently announced a partnership with the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Authority (LAMTA) to test the device inside L.A. subway stations.
The screening technology does not emit radiation nor shows any anatomical details of a person.
Instead, it detects whether objects are blocking “the naturally-occurring emissions emitted by a person’s body,” the TSA explained.
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A TSA officer at a checkpoint at Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA); courtesy: TSA
The new devices are being deployed in select areas amid an increasing threat from IED, suicide vests, and other explosive objects.
Earlier this month, authorities say a man detonated a handmade pipe bomb in the New York City subway system near Times Square.
And an IED exploded aboard a Daallo Airlines plane over Somalia last year, blowing a hole in the side of the fuselage; only the bomber died.
The new threats led, in part, to sweeping new rules for electronics screening that began this Fall at airports across the U.S.
The TSA’s latest pilot program is meant to further improve detection capabilities for these types of threats, such as IEDs.
“We need to innovate and evolve faster than the adversary, and more importantly, deploy technology ahead of the threat-curve,” Administrator Pekoske explained.
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New IED detection devices shown deployed at a Los Angeles county subway station; courtesy: LAMTA
The new IED-detection devices are deployed as part of a decade-long effort by TSA to reduce threats at U.S. transit stations.
Dave Sotero, a spokesman for LAMTA, said in a statement, “We’re constantly looking on the horizon for technologies that will help improve our security posture here in the Los Angeles County area, so this is one of the technologies that shows some promise to improve security.”
LAMTA workers are operating the equipment, which was provided by the TSA.
The TSA is known for its airport security duties, but is also in charge of protecting other modes of transportation, including rail.
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On the busiest day before Christmas, Friday, Dec. 22, the TSA screened up to 20% more travelers at airport checkpoints than on a normal day, according to numbers posted on an agency spokesperson’s verified Twitter account.
Spokesperson Lisa Farbstein added, “B-U-S-Y days.”
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