U.S. government finds solutions to control vehicular access

Mar 1, 2002 12:00 PM

The U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, has implemented portable barrier systems from Delta Scientific Corp., Valencia, Calif., to protect entrances from unauthorized vehicles. Also, the U.S. Department of Commerce's Office of Strategic Industries and Economic Security has included counter-terrorism bollards and barriers from Delta in its Defense Priorities and Allocations System Program.

Investment banking firms Joseph Stevens and Co., New York, and Vfinance, Boca Raton, Fla., have successfully deployed a biometric access control system from Sense Holdings Inc., Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., to secure their corporate sites and track employee movement. In addition, The West Hamilton Beach Fire Department, Queens, N.Y., has installed a biometric clock from Sense Holdings to help determine which firefighters are on duty, using fingerprint characteristics.

The Hoover Dam will feature glass protection from ShatterGARD, Atlanta. The glass protection film, BlastGARD, was originally developed for the military as a defense against bomb blasts and flying glass. The Hoover Dam equipped windows in its visitor center and parking garage with the film.

The San Francisco Unified School District has selected the Prism Video line of networked CCTV equipment from Axcess Inc., Dallas, to be used in a pilot “School Safety Program” for its 150 school properties.

Giesecke and Devrient, Dulles, Va., has been selected to participate in a joint program with the International Union of Operating engineers (IUOE) National HAZMAT program and government agencies to provide a smart ID card solution for use at disaster sites. The smart card system is expected to replace the paper-based system in current use by hazardous material teams and rescue teams at chemical and biological hazardous sites.

The BHP Billinton offices in Tokyo, Hague, London and Beijing have awarded a contract to Apollo Security, Newport Beach, Calif., to outfit each building with access control equipment, including proximity readers.

The U.S. Department of Defense has awarded a $600,000 contract to Viisage Technology Inc., Littleton, Mass., to provide facial recognition surveillance systems usable in operational environments. Florida's St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport has become the second U.S. airport to install a fully operational facial recognition screening system from Viisage. The first was Fresno (Calif.) International Airport. Additionally, the Mississippi Department of Public Safety has selected Viisage to design and implement a digital driver's license system. Finally, in a success for Viisage technology, published reports in Uganda indicate the country's electoral commission, using a facial recognition system, has uncovered 30 voters who registered more than once.

Airports in Eugene, Ore.; Fort Wayne, Ind.; Erie, Pa.; Appleton, Wis.; and Odessa, Texas, have ordered FingerPrinter CMS live scan systems from Visionics Corp., Jersey City, N.J. A total of 40 airports have adopted Visionics live scan systems to aid with federally mandated employee background checks. In addition, the West Valley City (Utah) Police Dept. has installed an IBIS mobile identification system developed by Visionics.

Airports in Oakland, Calif.; St. Petersburg, Fla.; Lincoln, Neb.; Des Moines, Iowa; and Springfield, Mo. have ordered TouchPrint 2000 Applicant Fingerprint Systems from Identix Inc., Los Gatos, Calif. Chicago's O'Hare International Airport has placed a second order for the systems. Also, the Bank of Central Asia has selected Identix biometric fingerprint technology to provide greater security for electronic fund transfers. Additionally, the Identix identification software developer kit has been licensed for use with a fingerprint database system as a prisoner booking application in a California County.

The U.S. Army has contracted RF Code Inc., Mesa, Ariz., for a system to monitor and manage assets at its Corpus Christi (Texas) Army Depot. The automated tracking system is comprised of RFID tags and antennas.

A new line of diplomatic limousines based on the current Cadillac sedan is making its way into the federal government. The armored vehicles, supplied by Scaletta Moloney Armoring, Bedford Park, Ill., offer ballistic protection for government officials, dignitaries and others.

A ballistics-tested and flammability-qualified hardened material for aircraft cockpit doors and other cabin surface security applications has been developed by Telair International Inc., Rancho Dominguez, Calif. The material passed the National Institute of Justice level IIIA threat test and meets FAA requirements.

Five major shopping centers in southern California are protected by CCTV systems with remote monitoring provided by RemoteVideo, Irvine, Calif. Professional Security Consultants, Los Angeles, will provide monitoring form a central control station.

The Virginia Port Authority has chosen VSE Corp., Alexandria, Va., to perform security engineering and installation support for Virginia's Norfolk International Terminals, Portsmouth Marine Terminal and Newport News Marine Terminals. “With the high volume of cargo being imported and exported by ship, train and truck through its port system, the Virginia Port Authority has complex engineering and installation requirements,” VSE president Tom Stallone says.

A number of California Target stores have installed access control and badging ID systems from Isonas Inc., Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif. The system works directly with a PC.

The Federal Aviation Administration has ordered $13.7 million worth of CTX explosives detection systems from InVision Technologies Inc., Newark, Calif. The FAA has indicated the equipment will be placed at San Francisco International Airport. Additionally, the Transportation Ministry of Canada, Service Technique des Bases Aeriennes of France, and El Al Airlines of Israel have also ordered explosives detection systems.

Evans High School, Augusta, Ga., has installed a digital video surveillance system from Augusta-based Network Data Services Inc., that allows law enforcement officials remote access to the school's cameras. The system, which was donated, should help emergency responders know what to expect before arriving at the school.

Marriott Intl. Inc., Washington D.C., has selected PPM 2000 Inc., Edmonton, Alberta, as a preferred provider of security information management software solutions for incident tracking and management, and computer-aided dispatching.

Dutch Customs has ordered a high-energy mobile X-ray system from PerkinElmer Detection Systems, Woburn, Mass., for use at container terminals in Rotterdam and Amsterdam.

Andover Controls Corp., Andover, Mass., has completed the first phase of a multi-million dollar contract with Puerto Rico Telephone Co., a subsidiary of Verizon. The Andover system provides environmental monitoring and card access over a WAN from the PRTC headquarters to more than 280 remote sites around Puerto Rico.

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