 |
|
|
        |
 |
||
|
Trusted
Traveler ID Initiative Suggested Recipients: Your Congressional representative Your members of the Senate Governor Tom Ridge Director, Office of the Homeland Security The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W. Washington, DC 20502 The Honorable Norman Mineta Secretary of Transportation 400 Seventh Street, S.W. Washington, DC 20590 John Magaw Under Secretary of Transportation for Security Transportation Security Administration 400 Seventh Street, S.W. Washington, DC 20590 What are the primary problems with the current airport screening process? Today, airport security screening, which is conducted by the federal government, is slow, inefficient and wasteful. The type and level of security screening is not appropriately correlated to the level of risk the particular passenger presents. The screening resources are inefficiently used because security efforts are indiscriminately spread across all travelers on virtually the same basis, rather than concentrated on the higher risk passengers. Travelers- especially business travelers- frequently comment about the inconvenience, time and hassle of passenger screening, especially the wasteful random nature of today’s security screening processes. Passengers are safety and security conscious, but they want to and deserve security process differentiation among low, normal, and high-risk passengers. How would a “Trusted Traveler” program work? The “Trusted Traveler” designation would be given to individuals who voluntarily undergo the scrutiny of federal government approved background check. While the specific processes need to be fully developed, the basic concept is that a traveler who had undergone and passed the required background check would be issued a “smart card” by the government, containing biometric information on that traveler, such as two-finger geometry, fingerprint or iris scan. When the traveler arrived at the airport, he/she could swipe the “Trusted Traveler” card and submit the appropriate biometric (two-finger geometry, fingerprint or iris scan) at the same card reader. Through this technology, the airline and/or security personnel would verify the traveler was indeed the person who was pre-cleared by the government, enabling the staff to treat the screening of this individual and their baggage in a manner that is similar the pre-9/11 process. This would save time for that traveler, and avoid unnecessary intrusive searches. This program makes sense because it actually provides more information about travelers than security screeners have today. With this new program, federal security screeners would know that the “Trusted Traveler” is a low security risk and could redirect their screening efforts to other passengers. Additionally, the program would significantly reduce processing time for the Trusted Travelers, and potentially for other travelers as well, as security resources could be more focused and efficient. Why should frequent flyers be “registered” to travel? Frequent business travelers make excellent candidates for a “Trusted Traveler” designation, because they: • Are generally established members of their communities. • Travel frequently and so are more adversely affected by inefficient security processes • Are more likely to agree to a government background check in order to speed up their airport processing time • Are important to the economic recovery of the United States How would pre-clearance improve airport screening process? Separating processing of “Trusted Travelers” from the general traveling population would improve security since screening resources would be focused on the unknown passenger rather than being wasted on low-risk travelers or randomly applied to all travelers. The Department of Transportation’s Airport Security Rapid Response Team, consisting of experts in the area of airport security, recommended a “pre-screening” program in their October 1st, 2001 report stating: “There is an urgent need to establish a nationwide program of voluntary pre-screening of passengers, together with the issuance of “smart” credentials, to facilitate expedited processing of the vast majority of air travelers and toe enable security professionals to focus their resources more effectively.” Is a “Trusted Traveler” program legal? Absolutely. The Aviation and Transportation Security Act (PL 107-296) passed On November 16th, 2001, provided for several processes that will aid in the improvement of aviation security. One key provision authorized a trusted traveler program, which uses technology to expedite screening for those passengers that wish to participate. The program would be entirely voluntary. |
|
Home | About | Membership | ACTE Sponsors | Resources | Events | Members Only | Contact Us | Canada | EMEA | Asia/Pacific | Site Map |