Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Boston airport first to test cargo-screening technology

From: [email-masked]
Date: Mon, 13 Oct 2003 17:15:52 -0400

Posted 10/13/2003 4:23 PM

Boston airport first to test cargo-screening technology
BOSTON (AP) — Logan International
Airport will become the first in the country to electronically screen cargo before
it is loaded on commercial flights as part of a test program.

In the 30-day program to begin Tuesday, a mammoth screening machine will scan full
truckloads of cargo at the Boston airport for explosives, addressing what many
people say is a gaping hole in the government's response to the Sept. 11 attacks.

While the Transportation Security Administration has focused on passenger and
baggage screening, only a small percentage of cargo is checked before being
shipped in cargo or passenger planes.
According to the General Accounting Office, about 22% of air cargo transported in
the United States is carried aboard passenger planes.

Logan has worked aggressively to become a security leader since the terrorist
attacks, which were launched with the help of two planes hijacked from the
airport. The airport was the first major airport to install a permanent screening
program for all checked baggage.
After the 30-day pilot program, Logan expects to try other versions of the
technology and decide on a new security approach for cargo.

Rep. Edward J. Markey, D-Mass., has been leading a fight in Congress for increased
cargo security, arguing that terrorists could easily slip a bomb through the
current security system. He is proposing a measure that would require the TSA to
physically inspect all cargo bound for passenger planes.
The agency objects, arguing that such a requirement would be so cumbersome and
time-consuming that it would prevent any cargo from being shipped on commercial
flights, leading to a loss of revenue for already struggling airlines.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2003-10-13-airport-cargo-screening_x.htm

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