Grand Forks airport adds new security for scanning passengers
Officials say new body scanners enhance security, speed up process, minimize privacy concernsA $170,000 Advanced Imaging Technology unit was installed at the passenger checkpoint on Jan. 17 and went into operation a couple of days later.
- Advance Imaging Technology unit
Passenger screening at Grand Forks International Airport recently made a big technological jump that officials say will improve security and speed up the process.
A $170,000 Advanced Imaging Technology unit was installed at the passenger checkpoint on Jan. 17 and went into operation a couple of days later.
John Hursey, federal security director for the Transportation Security Administration in North Dakota, said Hector International Airport in Fargo began using the same technology today that can detect metallic and non-metallic objects under layers of clothing.
“The primary goal is to enhance security,” he said. “The benefit here is that we’re able to enhance security and speed up the process and take care of privacy concerns.”
Patrick Dame, the airport’s executive director, said passengers seem to like the new system.
“The feedback that we’re hearing so far is it’s really not invasive,” he said.
How it works
The new technology was first researched in the fall of 2010 and was tested at major airports in Las Vegas, Atlanta and Washington in early 2011.
Since then, the TSA has installed more than 570 units nationwide at 130 airports.
The new screening process is similar in many ways to the old steps with metal detectors. Passengers take off their shoes and belt and empty their pockets into bins that are scanned separately.
But the AIT scanners detect any item in a pocket or under clothing, so passengers must remove all items — including metal objects, such as coins and keys, and non-metallic objects like paper and liquids.
One at a time, passengers step into an open booth and lift their arms over their head while the unit quickly scans by emitting electromagnetic waves that bounce harmlessly off the human body, Hursey said.
A black and white image is formed from the scan, and the image is analyzed for any possible anomalies or threats.
Privacy concerns
If no potential threats are found, TSA agents simply get the message “OK” on a monitor and the passenger is cleared.
But if the unit detects something, the monitor shows a generic outline of a human body with yellow boxes marking a pocket or area of the body where additional screening is needed.
Hursey said the technology is safe, emitting 1,000 times less energy than international limits and guidelines.
It also shows only a generic outline for every passenger, not the actual image of each person.
“It pretty much erases the privacy concerns and it allows for a very expedient process,” he said.
Hursey said the new AIT screening process is “absolutely voluntary,” and any passenger can opt out and instead go through an equivalent screening with a pat down.
Reach Johnson at (701) 780-1105; (800) 477-6572, ext. 105; or send email to rjohnson@gfherald.com.
Tags: gf and egf, gf international airport, grand forks, news, airports, tsa, transportation, security, travel, fargo
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