The Frontline Report

How today's technologies are being implemented in the nation's airports to keep Americans safe

WHEN homeland security issues are raised, more often than not the discussion begins with airport security. With millions of passengers -- many arriving from or departing to foreign destinations -- and tons of baggage and cargo passing through our commercial airports each day, maintaining security is a daunting challenge.

Often overlooked among debates over permitting scissors or cigarette lighters on board an aircraft is the close cooperation developed between the federal government and the security industry.

One program, known as the Airport Access Control Pilot Program, takes advantage of the experience of those in private industry. This $25 million project is designed to identify new and evolving security technologies and test them to see how they perform in a working airport.

After two years, the project has tested various technologies in nearly 20 airports. The project is due for completion in the first half of this year. The government, through the Transportation Security Administration, will then approve solutions that are successfully implemented, and airport officials can then select those solutions for their facilities.

Video Surveillance
Automated video surveillance software is due to play a large role in helping protect airports. A project currently underway for the Massachusetts Port Authority, which operates Boston's Logan International Airport, will use a video intrusion detection system to help monitor the airport's waterfront perimeter.

The system includes the installation of fixed and dome cameras, along with infrared cameras capable of detecting intruders at night and during poor weather conditions. The cameras will integrate with automated surveillance software that will trigger an audible alarm when violations of security rules, such as movement in restricted areas, are detected. The software will provide full-time monitoring of incoming video signals, which can enhance the performance of onsite security personnel by permitting them to extend their coverage to other areas of concern.

The completed system also will feature a wireless network that can provide security staff with firewalled, secure command-and-control capabilities through a wireless, Web-enabled remote management system.

Stereo Optical Tracking
Other airports are employing another system to help security personnel better determine when unauthorized personnel enter a restricted area. The system uses stereo optical tracking with machine vision technology to provide real-time video that is tied into an airport's existing access control system. This combined system can better distinguish between people and objects to help determine if unauthorized personnel enter secure areas through doorways using practices commonly referred to as tailgating or piggybacking.

Tailgating occurs when one authorized person holds the protected door open for another person that he or she knows or perceives to be authorized. This practice completely removes the authorization system from the process and circumvents the system's ability to reject a revoked or counterfeit pass or badge.

Another form of unauthorized entry is piggybacking, which can occur at heavily used doors, such as in an airport baggage area, when unauthorized personnel slip though the door behind authorized personnel. The system also alerts security personnel if a person tries to block a door from completely closing in order to enter once the area is clear.

Microwave Technology
In a report last spring, the Department of Homeland Security cited airport passenger exits as one of the weak points in airport security. A new security system uses video and microwave technologies to monitor these exits for possible security breeches. The system targets intruders attempting to bypass airport security checkpoints by going the wrong way through an airport exit, or those who attempt to throw weapons or other objects to an accomplice waiting on the other side.

Detecting movement, the system uses microwave technology to scan for people or objects traveling in the wrong direction. If spotted, the system erupts with flashing lights and a loud alarm warning that a security breech has occurred. Simultaneously, video surveillance cameras provide live and recorded video of the breech to airport police, giving them instantaneous access to the suspect's image. Today, with so many airport police equipped with wireless PDAs, the images can be quickly disseminated to officers throughout the airport, aiding in apprehension efforts.

RFID Technology
There also is work underway to help improve security at the nation's general aviation airports through the use of RFID technology. To help monitor the ground movement of private aircraft, an RFID tag is installed in a registered aircraft. Additionally, each person authorized to handle that aircraft carries an associated RFID card.

RFID tag readers, housed in pillar-like construction with a rechargeable battery and wireless modem transceiver powered by an outdoor solar panel, are strategically placed around the airport. The RFID tags located on the aircraft and in the cards assigned to aircraft personnel emit an encrypted signal that is read by the RFID readers and communicated back to the system's software -- helping to identify an aircraft as it moves about the airport.

If an RFID-tagged aircraft relocates from one protected area to another, or moves completely out of a protected area without an associated authorized personnel tag, the software immediately identifies this as a misuse and generates an alarm. These alarms are communicated to a nationwide monitoring network, which then contacts the owner, airport officials and/or law enforcement agencies.

These are just several examples of how the security industry has stepped forward to work with federal officials to create new products and find new applications for existing technology in order to better secure our airports.

Featured

  • Video Surveillance Trends to Watch

    With more organizations adding newer capabilities to their surveillance systems, it’s always important to remember the “basics” of system configuration and deployment, as well as the topline benefits of continually emerging technologies like AI and the cloud. Read Now

  • New Report Reveals Top Trends Transforming Access Controller Technology

    Mercury Security, a provider in access control hardware and open platform solutions, has published its Trends in Access Controllers Report, based on a survey of over 450 security professionals across North America and Europe. The findings highlight the controller’s vital role in a physical access control system (PACS), where the device not only enforces access policies but also connects with readers to verify user credentials—ranging from ID badges to biometrics and mobile identities. With 72% of respondents identifying the controller as a critical or important factor in PACS design, the report underscores how the choice of controller platform has become a strategic decision for today’s security leaders. Read Now

  • Overwhelming Majority of CISOs Anticipate Surge in Cyber Attacks Over the Next Three Years

    An overwhelming 98% of chief information security officers (CISOs) expect a surge in cyber attacks over the next three years as organizations face an increasingly complex and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven digital threat landscape. This is according to new research conducted among 300 CISOs, chief information officers (CIOs), and senior IT professionals by CSC1, the leading provider of enterprise-class domain and domain name system (DNS) security. Read Now

  • ASIS International Introduces New ANSI-Approved Investigations Standard

    • Guard Services
  • Cloud Security Alliance Brings AI-Assisted Auditing to Cloud Computing

    The Cloud Security Alliance (CSA), the world’s leading organization dedicated to defining standards, certifications, and best practices to help ensure a secure cloud computing environment, today introduced an innovative addition to its suite of Security, Trust, Assurance and Risk (STAR) Registry assessments with the launch of Valid-AI-ted, an AI-powered, automated validation system. The new tool provides an automated quality check of assurance information of STAR Level 1 self-assessments using state-of-the-art LLM technology. Read Now

New Products

  • Camden CM-221 Series Switches

    Camden CM-221 Series Switches

    Camden Door Controls is pleased to announce that, in response to soaring customer demand, it has expanded its range of ValueWave™ no-touch switches to include a narrow (slimline) version with manual override. This override button is designed to provide additional assurance that the request to exit switch will open a door, even if the no-touch sensor fails to operate. This new slimline switch also features a heavy gauge stainless steel faceplate, a red/green illuminated light ring, and is IP65 rated, making it ideal for indoor or outdoor use as part of an automatic door or access control system. ValueWave™ no-touch switches are designed for easy installation and trouble-free service in high traffic applications. In addition to this narrow version, the CM-221 & CM-222 Series switches are available in a range of other models with single and double gang heavy-gauge stainless steel faceplates and include illuminated light rings.

  • QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC)

    QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC)

    The latest Qualcomm® Vision Intelligence Platform offers next-generation smart camera IoT solutions to improve safety and security across enterprises, cities and spaces. The Vision Intelligence Platform was expanded in March 2022 with the introduction of the QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC), which delivers superior artificial intelligence (AI) inferencing at the edge.

  • EasyGate SPT and SPD

    EasyGate SPT SPD

    Security solutions do not have to be ordinary, let alone unattractive. Having renewed their best-selling speed gates, Cominfo has once again demonstrated their Art of Security philosophy in practice — and confirmed their position as an industry-leading manufacturers of premium speed gates and turnstiles.