System In Development Before Kennedy Terror Plot Uncovered
Fifty-seven miles of virtual fence designed to deter terrorists
is being installed at four major New York-area airports and is
expected to be in operation early next year. Modeled after systems
in place at Israel's Ben-Gurion and Baghdad's airports, the 'fence'
consists of a series of state-of-the-art heat, movement and video
sensors to detect terrorist threats.
"If you can't breach the perimeter of the airport, you can't
reach the fuel farms," an official, who asked to remain anonymous,
told Newsday.
Systems are being installed at John F. Kennedy Airport,
LaGuardia International Airport, Newark Liberty International
Airport and Teterboro Airport and are expected to be in operation
by early next year.
The systems are supposed to alert law enforcement to plots
similar to the one this weekend that planned to blow up a fuel line
inside JFK.
James Jay Carafano, a Homeland Security expert, said the system
was a "valuable addition to a layered security approach."
"When there's a burglary in the neighborhood, you lock the doors
and windows," he said. "Perimeter security in an airport is like
locking your door. You do that, but then you also get a cop to go
out and arrest the terrorist."
The system, designed by Raytheon, is made up of sensors, such as
radar, video motion detectors, thermal imagers and closed-circuit
television, which, when placed in strategic locations, would send
round-the-clock information to a command post at each individual
airport as well as a central Port Authority Police station.
It is also able to send instant video to first responders to
stop an intruder in real time, said Marc La Vorgna of the Port
Authority.
The $138-million system is the first of its kind to be installed
in the US, said La Vorgna and was actually in development prior to
the JFK plot being discovered.
Not everyone is so gung-ho about
virtual fencing. Rafi Ron, former head of security at Tel Aviv's
Ben-Gurion International Airport, contends this technology will
work effectively when coupled with an "ample and well-trained
police force."
"The question is not only detecting an intrusion but being able
to respond to it in due time," said Ron. "I think that most U.S.
airports are relatively quick to invest in the technology, but fail
to provide the human resources to respond to the detection when it
occurs."
Even former Federal Aviation Administration aviation security
consultant, Billie Vincent, said the system could be "worthless
without a response force that can get there before the adversary
gets to one of your critical facilities, or to an airplane at the
end of a runway."
"Without deploying sufficient response teams," he said, "all
you've done is raise your level of anxiety if you can see the
adversary, but you can't get to him in time."
"The technology will not replace the existing human security,"
La Vorgna said, insisting New York airports are "aggressively
patrolled."
"... The technology will allow the Port Authority Police
Department to identify potential problems and respond more
quickly."
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