The DHS Science and Technology Directorate (S&T), a 2023 Multiple ‘ASTORS’ Award Champion for Public Safety, and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), a 2021 Multiple Government ‘ASTORS’ Award Champion, have unveiled a new prototype checkpoint technology, the self-service screening system, at Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) in Las Vegas.
TSA PreCheck® passengers at TSA’s Innovation Checkpoint will be the first travelers with the opportunity to use the new system starting in mid-March when the testing begins.
The same meticulous screening standards and rules required of passengers using the TSA PreCheck lanes will likewise apply to the self-screening lane.
This newly designed self-service screening system is a prototype developed by TSA and S&T, initially tested in the Arlington, Virginia, TSA Systems Integration Facility laboratory setting.
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The prototype has a video monitor that provides step-by-step instructions for passengers to complete screening at their own pace.
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Once passengers have completed the required screening process and are cleared for travel, automated exit doors open so travelers can gather their belongings and head to their flights.
While Transportation Security Officers (TSOs) will be required to provide minimal assistance, they will be available for help as needed and ensure TSA PreCheck passengers using the self-screening lane follow security protocols.
(Imagine breezing through airport security as smoothly as a grocery store checkout. That’s the vision behind a new TSA pilot program launching today in Las Vegas. With cutting-edge technology under real-world testing, take a sneak peek into how this could transform the safety and efficiency of airport screenings. Courtesy of CBS Mornings and YouTube. Posted on Mar 6, 2024.)
The goal is to provide a near self-sufficient passenger screening process while enabling passengers to directly receive on-person alarm information and allow passenger self-resolution of those alarms to reduce instances where a pat-down or secondary screening procedure would be necessary.
TSA will collect passenger feedback and data on the system’s performance, design, cybersecurity, human factors, and other variables during the assessment in this live checkpoint environment.
This information will be valuable in future design requirements and system development, as well as in understanding how passengers and TSOs interact with the system. The data collected will inform design, development, feasibility, and viability decisions for future iterations.
“We are constantly looking at innovative ways to enhance the passenger experience, while also improving security,” explains TSA Administrator David Pekoske, the 2021 ‘ASTORS’ Extraordinary Government Leadership & Innovation Person of the Year*.
“This self-service prototype allows our trusted travelers to complete the screening process at their own pace.”
“Testing at the Innovation Checkpoint in Las Vegas gives us an opportunity to collect valuable user data and insights, and explore opportunities to apply parts of the prototype to other airport security checkpoints.”
“I am grateful for our partners in S&T and LAS airport, who were critical in bringing this vision to reality.”
After a sharp decrease in air travel during the early years of the pandemic, TSA has screened 143 million people so far this year, which is typically a slow period for US air travel.
That’s up 8 million travelers (or 6%) from the same period last year. During the 2023 six-week holiday travel period, the TSA screened 106 million travelers, up 10% from a year earlier and up 2% from the same time in 2019, ahead of the pandemic.
(See in action the new TSA passenger self-screening lanes at the Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas as they take ‘a step into the future.’ Courtesy of the Associated Press and YouTube. Posted on Mar 6, 2024.)
Travelers have arrived in Las Vegas in record numbers over the last year, and a total of 6,737 firearms (93% of which were loaded) of weapons were seized at TSA checkpoints in 2023.
The busiest day ever for TSA screening operations at the city’s airport was October 29, 2023, stated the agency, when TSA screened 103,400 passengers.
“The number of airline passengers continues to increase year-over-year, creating a need for innovative screening solutions that enhance transportation security and make traveling more efficient,” added DHS Under Secretary for Science and Technology Dr. Dimitri Kusnezov.
“At S&T, we are pushing the envelope with new technologies and concepts toward designing the airport of the future.”
“Self-paced screening is one step toward building that future.”
In late 2021, S&T awarded contracts to three companies to develop self-screening concepts, prototypes, and hardware. The self-service screening prototype at LAS is the first to succeed in laboratory testing.
Others are still in development and will be tested soon in a laboratory for future consideration in operational assessments.
TSA and S&T will carefully study the results of this assessment before they announce a timeline for any future deployment of this prototype to other checkpoint lanes or at different airports.
The Transportation Security Administration was created to strengthen the security of the nation’s transportation systems and ensure the freedom of movement for people and commerce.
TSA uses an intelligence-based approach and works closely with transportation, law enforcement, and intelligence communities to set standards for excellence in transportation security.
The DHS Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) mission is to enable effective, efficient, and secure operations across all homeland security missions by applying scientific, engineering, analytic, and innovative approaches to deliver timely solutions and support departmental acquisitions.
Created by Congress in 2003, S&T conducts basic and applied research, development, demonstration, testing, and evaluation activities relevant to support Homeland Security and aviation security responder operations and protect critical infrastructure.
The Self-Service Screening system results from S&T’s Screening at Speed Program, which develops and tests solutions for the next generation of airport screening.
To learn more about S&T, please visit https://www.dhs.gov/science-and-technology.
DHS Science & Technology (S&T) Honored in 2023 ‘ASTORS’ for Government Excellence
American Security Today’s Annual ‘ASTORS’ Awards, the preeminent U.S. Homeland Security, Public Safety, and Government Excellence Awards Program, now entering its Ninth Year, recognizes industry leaders of Physical and Border Security, Cybersecurity, Emergency Preparedness – Management and Response, Law Enforcement, First Responders as well as federal, state and municipal government agencies in the acknowledgment of their outstanding efforts to Keep our Nation Secure.
DHS Science & Technology (S&T) (First of Three)
Excellence in Public Safety and Community Resilience
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National Urban Security Technology Laboratory (NUSTL)
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The National Urban Security Technology Laboratory (NUSTL) is America’s principal federal laboratory for first responder technology testing and evaluation and is critical to the solutions the Science and Technology Directorate delivers to its stakeholders.
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Throughout its 75-year history, the lab has remained at the forefront of rapidly evolving technology for everyday hazards and our nation’s more complex threats.
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From measuring radioactive fallout during the Cold War to conducting field tests of first responder technologies today, NUSTL’s work plays a vital role in the lives of first responders and the security of the American people.
(Learn more about NUSTL. Courtesy of the DHS Science and Technology Directorate and YouTube.)
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New technologies are developed daily to enhance responder performance and safety, but are they durable? Will they perform under pressure? That’s what the NUSTL aims to ensure.
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As a federal laboratory organized within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T), NUSTL brings together the interests and initiatives of the Homeland Security Enterprise with the first responder community.
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The laboratory’s mission activities in test and evaluation (T&E) and research and development (R&D) help first responders prepare, protect, and respond to homeland security threats.
DHS Science & Technology (S&T) (Second of Three)
Excellence in Public Safety and Community Resilience
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NextGen Alerting for
Long-Range Broad Agency Announcements -
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T), in collaboration with FEMA’s IPAWS System, has introduced new technology that integrates unattended flood and wildfire sensors with the IPAWS Open Platform for Emergency Networks.
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These critical emergency alerts would be pushed to people in affected areas on their mobile devices and even on vehicle infotainment systems, with life-saving public safety alerts to street mapping apps, so they can be directed out of the path of danger, leading to enhanced public safety and improved emergency response in the face of natural disaster.
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These systems have the potential to provide life-saving critical emergency alerts to people in affected areas on their mobile devices and even on vehicle infotainment systems, leading to enhanced public safety and improved emergency response in the face of natural disasters.
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“The Wildland Urban Interface affects millions of Americans who live in or near areas prone to wildfires and flooding. This program is focused on developing innovative solutions that can help minimize the devastating impact on people and their communities,” explained Dr. Dimitri Kusnezov, DHS Under Secretary for Science and Technology.
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“S&T and FEMA IPAWS are dedicated to making long-term investments in innovative technology to ensure our nation’s first responders and emergency managers don’t face tomorrow’s floods and fires with yesterday’s tools.”
DHS Science & Technology (S&T), (Third of Three)
Excellence in Public Safety and Community Resilience
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Screening at Speed Program for New
Carry-On Baggage Screening System -
S&T recently installed a next-generation carry-on baggage screening system at Boston Logan International Airport in Massachusetts to collect data about how the system operates in a real-world environment to improve the system and detection algorithms.
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The system, administered by S&T’s Screening at Speed Program, is intended to help the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) cut the number of false alarms during carry-on bag screenings and reduce the time passengers spend in line waiting for their bags to be cleared.
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“This new carry-on screening system is an important next step in aviation security,” said Dr. John Fortune, S&T’s Screening at Speed Program Manager.
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“It combines two state-of-the-art systems into a hybrid that outperforms what the systems can do on their own. This data collection will help us fine-tune the Automatic Threat Recognition (ATR) algorithm and take advantage of the system’s ability to know which objects in our carry-on bags are actual threats and which just look like threats.”
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The two systems in this hybrid are the Computed Tomography (CT) X-ray, like the technology used in CAT scans, and the newer X-ray diffraction (XRD) system, which provides more information about the types of materials in bags than CT X-ray and, in some cases, can identify what objects are made of in carry-on bags.
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Together, the two systems allow Transportation Security Officers (TSOs) to view a 3D image of the bag, identify materials inside, and recognize whether there is a threat without opening it, reducing the number of bag inspections and speeding up the process at the checkpoint.
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This new technology would also improve screening methods and daily workflows for TSA’s TSOs on the front lines of aviation security. Technologies like the hybrid CT/XRD system would bring those goals together in a single system.
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The Screening at Speed Program conducts transformative research and development to improve the traveler experience, ensure security systems development outpaces evolving threats, and realize the aviation experience of the future.
(Learn how S&T mobilizes innovation and develops technology to protect our country and secure our world. From sensors to cybersecurity to technology for first responders, DHS S&T works with industry leaders to find tomorrow’s solutions, today. Courtesy of DHS Science and Technology Directorate and YouTube.)
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*DHS S&T has been recognized with Multiple Awards for Seven Consecutive Years in the Annual ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security Awards Programs.
Nominations are currently being accepted for the 2024 ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security Awards Program at https://americansecuritytoday.com/ast-awards/.
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Homeland Security remains at the forefront of our national conversation as we experience an immigration crisis along our southern border and crime rates that are dramatically higher than before the Pandemic across the United States.
These challenges have become a national priority with an influx of investments in innovative new technologies and systems.
Enter American Security Today, the #1 publication and media platform in the Government Security and Homeland Security fields, with a circulation of over 75,000 readers and many tens of thousands more who visit our AST website at www.americansecuritytoday.com each month.
The pinnacle of the Annual ‘ASTORS’ Awards Program is the Annual ‘ASTORS’ Awards Ceremony Luncheon Banquet, an exclusive, full-course plated meal event in the heart of New York City.
The continually evolving ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security, Public Safety, and Government Excellence Awards Program will highlight the trail of Accomplished Women in Leadership in 2024.
So be on the lookout for exciting upcoming announcements of Speakers, Presenters, Book Signing Opportunities, and Attendees at the 2024 ‘ASTORS’ Awards Presentation Luncheon in November of 2024 in New York City!
In 2023, this exclusive sold-out event featured at ISC East, well over two hundred representatives of law enforcement, public safety, and industry leaders came together to honor the selfless service of those who stand on the front lines – and those who stand beside them – providing the capabilities and technologies to create a safer world for future generations.
Comprehensive collaborations between these private and public sectors have led to the development of innovative intelligence and technologies that serve to protect our Nation.
Steven Dettelbach, Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms (ATF) and Explosives, delivered the keynote address at the 2023 ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security and Excellence in Public Safety Awards Ceremony and Banquet Luncheon.
Director Dettelbach spoke with passion on the epidemic of Gun Violence by Illegal Guns taking place across the United States, which results in over 125 deaths daily and impacting generations of families – leaving open chairs at holiday events.
Firearm injuries were the leading case of death for children for the third year in a row, he explained, and have doubled in the U.S. since 2021, levels that are simply intolerable.
Director Dettelbach lauded the strong partnerships with Federal, State, Local, and Tribal Policing that ATF has earned and relies upon to reduce violence and spoke with admiration as a former prosecutor on the selfless sense of mission and drive that is universal across the entire First Responder Community.
The prestigious Annual ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security Awards Program highlights the most cutting-edge and forward-thinking security solutions coming onto the market today to ensure our readers have the information they need to stay ahead of the competition and keep our Nation safe – one facility, street, and city at a time.
The ‘ASTORS’ was specifically designed to honor distinguished government and vendor solutions that deliver enhanced value, benefit, and intelligence to end-users in a variety of government, homeland security, enterprise, and public safety vertical markets.
(See a few highlights during the 2023 ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security and Government Excellence Awards Ceremony and Banquet Luncheon in NYC during ISC East on November 16, 2023. Courtesy of AST, My Pristine Images, and Vimeo.)
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Guard Dog AI, IPVideo Corporation, Rajant Corporation, RX Global, SIMS Software, and American Security Today!
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The traditional security marketplace has long been covered by a host of publications putting forward the old-school basics to what is Today – a fast-changing security landscape.
American Security Today is uniquely focused on the broader Homeland Security & Public Safety marketplace and brings forward a fresh, compelling look and read with our customized digital publications that hold readers’ eyes throughout the story with cutting-edge editorials that provide solutions to their challenges.
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‘PROTECTING OUR NATION, ONE CITY AT A TIME’
AST Reaches Private and public Experts, essential to meeting these new challenges.
Today’s new generation of public safety and security experts need real-time knowledge to deal with domestic and international terrorism, lone wolf attacks, unprecedented urban violence, shifts in society, culture, and media bias – making it increasingly difficult for Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, First Responders, Military and Private Security Professionals to implement coordinated security measures to ensure national security and improve public safety.
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AST provides a full plate of topics in our AST Monthly Magazine Editions, AST Website, and AST Daily News Alerts, covering 23 Vital Sectors such as Access Control, Perimeter Protection, Video Surveillance/Analytics, Airport Security, Border Security, CBRNE Detection, Border Security, Ports, Cybersecurity, Networking Security, Encryption, Law Enforcement, First Responders, Campus Security, Security Services, Corporate Facilities, and Emergency Response among others.
AST has Expanded readership into integral Critical Infrastructure audiences such as Protection of Nuclear Facilities, Water Plants and Dams, Bridges and Tunnels, and other potential targets of terrorism.
Other areas of concern include Transportation Hubs, Public Assemblies, Government Facilities, Sporting and Concert Stadiums, our Nation’s Schools and Universities, and Commercial Business Destinations – all enticing targets due to the large number of persons and resources clustered together.
To learn more about ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security Award Winners solutions, Be On the LookOut for the 2023 ‘ASTORS’ CHAMPIONS Edition Fully Interactive Magazine – the Best Products of 2023 ‘A Year in Review.’
The Annual CHAMPIONS edition reviews ‘ASTORS’ Award Winning products and programs, highlighting key details on many of the winning firm’s products and services, including video interviews and more.
It will serve as your Go-To Source throughout the year for ‘The Best of 2023 Products and Services’ endorsed by American Security Today and can satisfy your agency’s and/or organization’s most pressing Homeland Security and Public Safety needs.
From Physical Security (Access Control, Critical Infrastructure, Perimeter Protection, and Video Surveillance Cameras and Video Management Systems), to IT Security (Cybersecurity, Encryption, Data Storage, Anti-Malware, and Networking Security – to name a few), the 2023 ‘ASTORS’ CHAMPIONS EDITION will have WHAT YOU NEED to Detect, Delay, Respond to, and Mitigate today’s real-time threats in our constantly evolving security landscape.
It will also include featured guest editorial pieces from some of the security industry’s most respected leaders and recognized firms in the 2023 ‘ASTORS’ Awards Program.
For more information on All Things American Security Today, as well as the 2024 ‘ASTORS’ Awards Program, please contact Michael Madsen, AST Publisher at mmadsen@americansecuritytoday.com.
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