"Southwest Florida airport to test new security technology"

Tuesday, June 17, 2003 

Southwest Florida airport to test new security technology
The Associated Press 


FORT MYERS, Fla. - Southwest Florida International Airport has been chosen
to test emerging security technology, officials said.

The airport south of Fort Myers and Dulles International in Washington,
D.C., were the first of 20 facilities to be named test sites for the Airport
Access Control Program, Lee County Port Authority officials announced
Monday.

Seventy-five of the nation's 429 commercial airports applied.

The airports, which were chosen by the Transportation Security
Administration, will test and evaluate new screening methods such as iris,
face, voice, fingerprint or hand scanning, as well as security door
detection systems, advanced video processing, digital closed-circuit
television monitoring, and the integration of new and existing technologies.

Southwest Florida International Airport has a 20-year-old terminal, but
construction has begun on a new one that is expected to open in 2005.

"Obviously we wanted to be looking into the latest and greatest
technologies," airport director Robert M. Ball said.

Other emerging technologies to be tested include: systems to identify and
admit airport workers and vehicles to the airport's apron or runways;
systems to ensure only authorized people and vehicles enter air cargo
facilities; systems to screen vehicles and employees entering
security-sensitive general aviation areas at the airport.

Ball said he expects a team of security agency officials and equipment
manufacturers to visit the airport within the next five months to decide
which technology would be best tested there.


 Do you have an opinion about this story?
Share it with other readers in our CAA Discussion Forums

http://www.californiaaviation.org/dc/dcboard.php

*****************************************