Explosives-sniffing machine to be pulled from Lambert
By Elisa Crouch
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
Tuesday, Oct. 31 2006
A high-tech machine used to sniff out explosives has been sitting idle at a
Lambert Field checkpoint since June because airport and security officials
disagreed on where to put it.
Tonight, it will be disassembled and put in storage.
The reliability of the machine, nicknamed a "puffer," also is being questioned.
The Transportation Security Administration earlier this fall suspended the
rollout of more units because of maintenance problems.
Ninety-four of the machines still are being used in 37 airports for passengers
selected for secondary screening. None of those will be removed.
"They're all operational," TSA spokeswoman Carrie Harmon said.
Harmon cited security concerns in refusing to discuss the maintenance issues.
The agency says it's working with the manufacturers to address the issues, and
tests are being run at the agency's security lab in Atlantic City, N.J.
Lambert's unit, which never has been plugged in, is the only one being
mothballed.
The machines are touted as a way for screeners to find well-hidden explosives
that don't set off metal detectors. Passengers who step inside the machine feel
rapid puffs of air that kick up particles from their skin and clothes. The
machine analyzes the air for traces of explosives.
The machine at Lambert, made by General Electric, cost the federal government
$160,000. About half of the units at other airports were made by Smith's
Detection in New Jersey.
Bill Switzer, federal security director, said the machine would be reinstalled
after issues are worked out. Switzer oversees TSA operations in the St. Louis
region.
"We're trying to upgrade the system so it can accommodate all the pollen and
dirt and everything at the airport and still function the way it ought to
function."
Lambert's walk-through explosives detector encountered problems immediately
after it was installed in late June. Airport officials didn't like its
location, in front of the metal detectors at the C and D concourses, even
though they had agreed to blueprints. They asked federal security officials to
move the unit eight feet.
"It was set up in the middle of the lobby," said Deputy Airport Director Gerard
Slay. "It was an eyesore. There was a flow problem for passengers."
Airport officials wanted the machine in the proper place before putting it to
use. But to move the unit eight feet, construction workers needed to raise the
ceiling at the security checkpoint 2 feet. It took the airport and TSA
officials months to agree that Lambert would cover construction costs. Switzer,
however, still needed TSA approval to spend $4,000 on moving and recalibrating
the unit.
Initially, 340 puffer machines were to be installed across the country by the
end of this year. Federal screeners began testing the machines in 2004 at
airports in 14 cities, including Miami; Las Vegas; Jacksonville, Fla.; and
Gulfport, Miss.
That fall, the idea of screening passengers for explosives became a national
security priority. Chechen women were suspected of boarding two Russian
airliners with plastic explosives strapped to their waists in September 2004.
Explosions brought down both airplanes.
Last year, St. Louis was on the list of airports to receive the third round of
the machines. Three were to be installed at the airport's busiest checkpoints.
However, the security agency's deployment of the machines fell behind. Whether
Lambert receives two more will be determined after enhancements are made to the
equipment, Harmon said. She would not speculate how long this will take, or how
long Lambert's puffer machine will be in storage.
Aside from location, Slay said he simply wants the machine to be reliable.
"We'll welcome the machine if they enhance security," Slay said.
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