Screening Device to Replace the Pat-Down at Hawai’i’s Harbors

Travelers coming to Hawai’i’s harbors will soon undergo a new, non-invasive screening procedure instead of being patted down, according to a new report.

In an article in the Garden Island, Nathan Eagle says the state is planning to add the security measures, capable of detecting improvised explosive devices and other threats, to four of the state’s main harbors by the end of next year.

 “This machinery replaces the pat-down,” Michael Formby, deputy director of the state Department of Transportation, Harbors Division, told Eagle. “There will be no more physical touching.”

The radiation-free imaging system will be installed at Honolulu, Kahului, Hilo and Nawiliwili harbors. The system will relay information to the Honolulu Harbor Surveillance Command Information System, State Law Enforcement Coalition at the state capitol and State Civil Defense.

“Hawai’i is leading the nation in port security,” Linda Jameson, vice president of business development for Trex, the company that created the screening process, told Eagle. “It’s a big issue.”

The system will be able to detect metallic and non-metallic weapons on passengers. Anything that is blocking the body’s natural heat — from guns and knives to cell phones — will appear as an actual outline of the object, Jameson told Eagle.

To read the full article, click here: http://www.kauaiworld.com/articles/2008/07/16/news/news05.txt