Security & Safety Briefs - Dec. 30 - Jan. 5
The Latest Headlines:
Homeland Meets Deadline on US-Visit Program
The Department of Homeland Security has met a congressional deadline to establish a new biometrics-integrated fingerprint system at the nation's 50 busiest land ports of entry, the Washington Times reported.After the 9/11 attacks, Congress mandated that Homeland complete installation of the US-Visit program by Dec. 31, 2004. The program allows immigration inspectors and border agents to quickly identify potential terrorists and other criminals through biometrics fingerprint technology.
However, the Justice Department's Office of Inspector General last week questioned whether US-Visit could be fully integrated with the FBI's 5-year-old biometrics fingerprint system, the Times reported.
NHTSA Delays Stopping-Distance Rule
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration again delayed issuing a proposed rule to shorten the required stopping distances for heavy-duty trucks, an agency spokeswoman said.Liz Neblett told Transport Topics in November that the rule would be issued by late December. In a Dec. 22 interview, Neblett declined to comment on the cause of the most recent delay.
Even if NHTSA’s proposed rule was issued in early 2005, it could take years before it was implemented, Neblett said. Transport Topics
