NCJ Number
208255
Journal
Homeland Defense Journal Volume: 2 Issue: 10 Dated: November 2004 Pages: 8,10,12
Date Published
November 2004
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This article describes transportation and border security enhancements throughout the United States.
Abstract
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is using new and multi-layered approaches to safeguarding the Nation's highways, ports, and borders. Technological inspections of cargo ensure that all cargo containers entering the country have been inspected. This Container Security Initiative (CSI) enables the inspection of manifests and bills of lading while ships are still at sea, identifying high-risk vessels before they even reach the United States. Enhanced security measures at ports in Miami and San Francisco are described, as the new “smart borders” policy of the U.S. Border Patrol which includes the use of biometric identification systems and compatible immigration databases. Security enhancements at the United States-Canadian border and the United States-Mexican border are described and include expansion of the Integrated Border Enforcement Teams. Increased cybersecurity, restricted access to railcar location data, and spot employee checks are some of the security enhancements taking place on railways and subway rail networks. Finally, America’s highways are being protected by the expansion of the Highway Watch program, a partnership between the American Trucking Association and the Transportation Security Administration that enables professional truck drivers to identify and report safety and security situations on the Nation’s roads.