Security Briefs - May 8 - May 14
The Latest Headlines:
- Unmanned Aircraft May Help Guard U.S. Border
- Customs Working on ‘Smart Box’ Containers
- Container Explodes in Plane’s Cargo Hold
- Senate Passes Air Cargo Security Bill
- Pennsylvania Man Faces Prison for CDL Scheme
- Maximus Awarded TSA Contract to Test TWIC
- Canada Issues Safety Guarantee on Imported Medicine
- Customs Working on ‘Smart Box’ Containers
Unmanned Aircraft May Help Guard U.S. Border
The Department of Homeland Security is considering the use of unmanned aircraft to help guard the U.S. border with Mexico, news services reported.Robert Bonner, commissioner of the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection, on Tuesday told the Senate Homeland Security subcommittee that remote-controlled aircraft could watch over a potential target for long periods of time while carrying cameras, sensors or missiles, AP reported.
Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge endorsed the use of drones last month, AP said.
The false documents were not challenged once by border officials when they tried to get in from Mexico, Jamaica, Barbados or Canada, AP said. Transport Topics
Customs Working on ‘Smart Box’ Containers
Robert Bonner, head of the U.S. Bureau of Customs and Border Protection, said his office is working to develop a “smart box” cargo container that could one day electronically provide location, indicate if it had been tampered with, sense the presence of radioactive agents and describe the type of cargo packed inside, the Associated Press reported Monday.Since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, container security improvements have been made, but many experts believe ports remain vulnerable to weapons smuggled inside shipping containers, AP said.
A model smart box is already in use at some foreign ports, AP said. It uses a high-security bolt to secure the door and special labeling tape that indicates whether anyone has tampered with the box.
There are long-term plans to incorporate a system that can locate a container using a satellite tracking system, and to detect nuclear weapons, AP said.
However, the cost and durability of these containers are obstacles to developing them faster, shipping company officials told AP. Transport Topics
Container Explodes in Plane’s Cargo Hold
A shipping container packed with electronic test equipment exploded inside an airliner's cargo hold Sunday while passengers were boarding, the Associated Press reported.A battery pack in the container of electronic gear was responsible for the blast on a United Airlines flight in San Francisco, AP said.
There were no injuries and officials said the cargo container was well insulated so it would likely have not caused any damage to the plane had it been airborne, according to AP.
Trucks transfer cargo to and from airports, including the cargo moved in the bellies of passenger planes. Transport Topics
Senate Passes Air Cargo Security Bill
Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) hailed the Senate passage of the Air Cargo Security Act last week, which she said would significantly improve cargo security on commercial passenger flights. The bill was co-sponsored by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.).Trucks transfer cargo to and from airports, so changes in air security could affect how they do business.
Hutchison said in a release the bill would establish a more reliable known shipper program, mandate inspections of domestic cargo facilities and direct the Transportation Security Administration to work with foreign countries to conduct inspections at facilities transporting air cargo to the United States.
In addition, cargo airlines would be required to develop an approved security plan for their facilities and all non-citizens who want to undergo flight training would need a background check. Transport Topics
Pennsylvania Man Faces Prison for CDL Scheme
Robert Ferrari, a former Pennsylvania Department of Transportation worker, faces up to two years in prison after he pleaded guilty to charges that he sold fake commercial driver's licenses to foreigners, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported Thursday.Ferrari already pleaded guilty in February 2002 in U.S. District Court to numerous federal charges in connection with the sale of counterfeit licenses. Authorities were concerned even before the 9/11 attacks that terrorists could strike by using trucks hauling hazardous materials.
Some of the licenses sold by Ferrari permitted the men to transport hazardous materials, the article said.
Ferrari cooperated with authorities, leading to the arrests of 20 men in Pennsylvania, Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, Tennessee, Texas and Washington state. Federal investigators have said that none of the men had terrorist ties. Transport Topics
Maximus Awarded TSA Contract to Test TWIC
Maximus said Friday it was awarded a five-month, $3.8 million contract from the Transportation Security Administration to assist in the testing of technologies that could lead to a common Transportation Worker Identification Card (TWIC).TWIC could potentially be used by 12 million transportation workers at seaports, airports and land transportation hubs, Maximus said in a release.
The company said it would test and evaluate different types of access control technologies at facilities across different modes of transportation.
Test sites include the mid-Atlantic region of Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, and the Los Angeles/Long Beach area of California. Transport Topics
(Click here for the full press release.)
Canada Issues Safety Guarantee on Imported Medicine
The Canadian health ministry officially said it would be responsible for the safety and quality of the growing flow of prescription drugs across the border to U.S. consumers, the Washington Post reported Thursday.Millions of U.S. consumers buy their medications from Canada, where price controls often make drugs considerably cheaper, the Post said.
The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers Association opposes cross-border sales because it cuts U.S. drug makers' profits by allowing consumers to buy cheaper drugs that companies originally shipped to Canada. The association said the importing and re-importing of drugs from Canada is unsafe, according to the Post.
Congress has twice passed bills that would make it legal to re-import drugs from Canada, but the Department of Health and Human Services concluded the safety of the imported drugs could not be ensured so the bill did not become law, the Post said. Transport Topics
