Remote security at U.S.-Canada border

Jul 1, 1998 12:00 PM, AC&SSI Staff

Along our northern borders with Canada, there are many small, remote ports of entry that are not staffed for 24-hour operation. Until recently, after-hours border crossings at those locations were not possible, with the nearest 24-hour ports of entry often miles away. Now, the United States Immigration and Naturalization Services (INS) - in partnership with the United States Customs Service, Citizenship and Immigration Canada and Revenue Canada - is experimenting with technology to allow around-the-clock crossings at these ports.

An INS objective has been to enable port inspectors to process a rising number of travelers at staffed and unstaffed points of entry at a faster rate, while safeguarding our borders.

At selected remote sites, called automated permit ports (APP), residents on either side of the border can apply for a crossing permit for use anytime, whether or not inspectors are on duty. The first of these test ports, located at Scobey, Mont., employs a biometric device to identify the traveler's voice and is the first fully automated port of entry in the world. In the permit enrollment process, the applicant's voice "signature" is recorded, a personal identification number (PIN) assigned and photo ID card issued.

Pursuing the APP concept, the INS engaged Electronic Data Systems to help achieve unmanned, automated ports of entry. When a border crossing is denied at these ports - for example, if an incorrect PIN is entered or a lapse occurs in the biometric identification process - the traveler obtains necessary assistance by keying in a code that automatically dials up an inspector at the monitoring site, often miles away.

With RemoteWatch Pro, a telesurveillance system designed and produced by Alpha Systems Lab, Irvine, Calif., a visual image of the traveler is transmitted to a manned entry site that has been set up to monitor the unmanned port. The system permits live recording of audio and video on a VCR, while the software system integrates and stores the data on a remote PC hard disk. The INS has the system online at the port in Champlain, N.Y., and the Scobey port is monitored through video surveillance, both automatically and manually, from 70 miles awayat Raymond, Mont. On either side of the border, the respective officer can observe and speak with the traveler, and, following established parameters, allow or deny crossing.

Two additional APPs, recently established at Orient and Forest City, Maine, employ the permit holder's PIN code and enrollment card, as well as a biometric.

Remote video inspection system To provide off-hour service at low-volume ports of entry inappropriate for automation, the four agencies are experimenting with a system called Remote Video Inspection System. The first two test sites are the ports of entry at Champlain, N.Y., and Whitetail, Mont. System installation has also been completed at the latter site, monitored from Raymond.

Much like the Automated Permit Points, the remote video system allows an inspector at another location to see and talk with travelers crossing at an unstaffed POE, examine documents in detail, and remotely view the interior of the vehicle, the trunk and under the hood, as desired. With remote video inspection, one inspector can remotely monitor several ports at the same time and around the clock.

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