I guess the Feds won't be happy until they can look up everything on everyone.
Jan 26, 11:39 PM EST
Hutchinson: Feds to Test Screening System
By LESLIE MILLER
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The government will order airlines to provide background information on passengers for a new security system that aims to keep dangerous people off planes, Homeland Security Undersecretary Asa Hutchinson said Monday.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Hutchinson said he wants to begin testing the system this spring. It could be fully operational by summer, according to spokesman Dennis Murphy.
Hutchinson said building the system is a Homeland Security Department priority.
"The information that is given by a passenger to the airlines is important for us to have - in terms of name, address, date of birth - so we can properly assure the safety of a particular flight," he said.
The Computer-Assisted Passenger Prescreening System, or CAPPS II, would screen all passengers by checking that information against commercial and government databases. Each passenger would be given one of three color-coded ratings.
Suspected terrorists and violent criminals would be designated "red" and forbidden to fly. Passengers who raise questions would be classified "yellow" and would receive extra security screening. The vast majority would be "green" and simply go through routine screening.
The program has been criticized by privacy advocates who say it infringes on civil liberties and that people may be wrongly labeled security threats.
U.S. airlines have been reluctant to cooperate with the government because of those concerns and possible backlash from passengers. Northwest Airlines, JetBlue Airways and Delta Air Lines already have come under fire for sharing passenger information with the government without letting customers know.
Jim May, president of the Air Transport Association, the major airlines' trade group, said it's imperative that protections for passengers be in place before the government issues any directives. He questioned whether that can happen fast enough to allow full implementation this summer.
Hutchinson said the government will work with airlines to address their concerns but will compel them to participate.
"We expect at this point the airlines will want a clear rule or directive from the government before they'd release information," he said.
European airlines already have agreed to provide data, he said.
Testing would use old passenger data from the airlines' reservation systems, Murphy said. If it happens to turn up a terrorist suspect, Murphy said law enforcement officials would be notified.
In a wide-ranging discussion, Hutchinson also said that in its first three weeks, a program requiring people from certain countries to be fingerprinted and photographed as they enter the country at airports and seaports stopped 70 people.
Though none was a terrorist suspect, Hutchinson said the program, called US-VISIT, proved its ability to spot those trying to use fraudulent immigration documents to gain entry, he said.
The program, in place at 115 airports and a dozen seaports, allows U.S. authorities to check people instantly against terrorist watch lists and a national criminal database.
Air cargo also is getting increased attention from federal security officials, Hutchinson said. Just before the threat level was raised to orange - high risk - over the holidays, the government required random physical inspections of cargo that is loaded into the belly of passenger planes, he said.
Hutchinson also said the Super Bowl has been designated a special security site, which means extra resources will be devoted to securing the event. Pilots already have been notified of temporary flight restrictions over the stadium.
Jan 26, 11:39 PM EST
Hutchinson: Feds to Test Screening System
By LESLIE MILLER
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The government will order airlines to provide background information on passengers for a new security system that aims to keep dangerous people off planes, Homeland Security Undersecretary Asa Hutchinson said Monday.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Hutchinson said he wants to begin testing the system this spring. It could be fully operational by summer, according to spokesman Dennis Murphy.
Hutchinson said building the system is a Homeland Security Department priority.
"The information that is given by a passenger to the airlines is important for us to have - in terms of name, address, date of birth - so we can properly assure the safety of a particular flight," he said.
The Computer-Assisted Passenger Prescreening System, or CAPPS II, would screen all passengers by checking that information against commercial and government databases. Each passenger would be given one of three color-coded ratings.
Suspected terrorists and violent criminals would be designated "red" and forbidden to fly. Passengers who raise questions would be classified "yellow" and would receive extra security screening. The vast majority would be "green" and simply go through routine screening.
The program has been criticized by privacy advocates who say it infringes on civil liberties and that people may be wrongly labeled security threats.
U.S. airlines have been reluctant to cooperate with the government because of those concerns and possible backlash from passengers. Northwest Airlines, JetBlue Airways and Delta Air Lines already have come under fire for sharing passenger information with the government without letting customers know.
Jim May, president of the Air Transport Association, the major airlines' trade group, said it's imperative that protections for passengers be in place before the government issues any directives. He questioned whether that can happen fast enough to allow full implementation this summer.
Hutchinson said the government will work with airlines to address their concerns but will compel them to participate.
"We expect at this point the airlines will want a clear rule or directive from the government before they'd release information," he said.
European airlines already have agreed to provide data, he said.
Testing would use old passenger data from the airlines' reservation systems, Murphy said. If it happens to turn up a terrorist suspect, Murphy said law enforcement officials would be notified.
In a wide-ranging discussion, Hutchinson also said that in its first three weeks, a program requiring people from certain countries to be fingerprinted and photographed as they enter the country at airports and seaports stopped 70 people.
Though none was a terrorist suspect, Hutchinson said the program, called US-VISIT, proved its ability to spot those trying to use fraudulent immigration documents to gain entry, he said.
The program, in place at 115 airports and a dozen seaports, allows U.S. authorities to check people instantly against terrorist watch lists and a national criminal database.
Air cargo also is getting increased attention from federal security officials, Hutchinson said. Just before the threat level was raised to orange - high risk - over the holidays, the government required random physical inspections of cargo that is loaded into the belly of passenger planes, he said.
Hutchinson also said the Super Bowl has been designated a special security site, which means extra resources will be devoted to securing the event. Pilots already have been notified of temporary flight restrictions over the stadium.