Passengers of the afternoon flights were the first ones to go through the controversial scanning machine which, according to TSA assistant federal security director Lee Cabrera, has the ability to detect metallic and non-metallic objects on a person’s body.
Cabrera said this represents a big leap in local airport technology.
TSA security manager John Brandon, who demonstrated how the machine works, said Saipan is way ahead of Guam in acquiring state-of-the art technology that can detect a wide range of threats to transportation security.
He said the AIT safely screens passengers for metallic and nonmetallic threats like weapons, explosives and other objects concealed under layers of clothing without physical contact.
Cabrera said the privacy of passenger is protected as the AIT has built-in protocols that allow the officers to see only either the person or the image.
He said the officer in charge of seeing the image won’t get to see the person, and the officer who sees the person won’t be looking at the image that appears on the computer in a remote room.
The AIT unit manufactured by Rapiscan Secure, Cabrera said, has undergone a series of tests and poses no danger even to passengers under high health risk categories like pregnant women, infants and persons with implants.
The exposure to radiation, he said, takes five to seven seconds only which is equivalent to two to three minutes flight in high altitude.
The training for TSA officers who will handle the AIT has been completed, Cabrera added.
Prior to the screening, Cabrera said the passenger has to take off from his body anything that can sound the alarm — wallets, belts, keys and other metallic objects.
The image generated by AIT and projected in the remote room is never stored, Cabrera added.
One’s you’re done, he said, the image is gone as well.
The AIT is an integral part of TSA’s effort to continually look for new technologies to ensure that travel remains safe and secure by staying ahead of evolving threats, the TSA website stated.
AIT screening, according to Brandon, is optional. Those who do not want to go through it can undergo patdown screening.
