Doing the 'wave'
Airport gets its second imaging machine
By D.R. STEWART, Staff Writer
Tulsa World
2/19/2009

An airline passenger screening technology considered controversial by some
civil libertarians when it was introduced last year has won widespread
acceptance at Tulsa International Airport, officials say.

The airport's second whole-body imaging machine was deployed without
complaint Wednesday at the Transportation Security Administration's
passenger security checkpoints.

In October, Tulsa International became the 11th airport in the nation to
use the technology, which directs radio waves in a phone-booth-like machine
across the passenger's body.

Tulsa International is the first U.S. airport to have a WBI machine in
operation for primary passenger screening, and the device could eventually
replace metal detectors at TSA security checkpoints, agency executives
said.

TSA Federal Security Director Stephen Cortright said the second machine is
being used for primary screening, or the screening process used prior to
travelers passing through a metal detector.

"People in Tulsa are used to it because we already had one (WBI machine),"
Cortright said. "There haven't been any objections. It has gone quickly,
and the reactions have been good so far."

The WBI regime is designed to augment metal detectors and baggage screening
at security checkpoints.

Passengers who choose the WBI process step into a $170,000 metal-and-glass
booth, place their feet over a set of footprints on the floor of the booth
and hold their arms above their heads while a set of black screening wands
"take pictures" of the person. A TSA security officer then instructs the
passenger to place their feet on a second set of footprints, which are at a
90-degree angle to the first set, and raise their arms again.

The WBI machine's radio waves penetrate clothing to reveal concealed
weapons, explosives, liquids, metals, ceramics, plastics, money, drugs or
other contraband.

The passenger's image is transmitted to a remote, locked room where it is
viewed on a computer monitor by a single TSA officer.

"We have put several steps in place to ensure passenger privacy," said TSA
spokeswoman Andrea McCauley. "There are privacy filters over the
passenger's face. There is no way to tell who the person is."

After the passenger's image is scanned and found not to contain prohibited
items by the remote TSA officer, the image is deleted from the screen. The
image can't be stored, transmitted, printed or retrieved, TSA officials
said.

The WBI machines are safe, using electro-magnetic waves 10,000 times less
powerful than those emitted by a cell phone, McCauley said.

"It's safe for pregnant women and for people with pacemakers," she said.

"The big thing is they need to take everything out of their pockets —
toothpicks, gum wrappers, everything — because they will show up on the WBI
machine," McCauley said.

The WBI process is designed to address a weakness of the airport screening
process identified by a 2005 report of the Department of Homeland Security.

The report found that TSA officials during tests of the system were able to
pass through security checkpoints with liquid explosives and nonmetallic
weapons.

TSA's Cortright said people during the primary screening process can opt
out of the WBI machine in preference for the walk-through metal detector.

"But we have had very few people do that," Cortright said. "The only people
who have opted out (of WBI) had a physical reason — people carrying a child
or people in a wheelchair. You have to be able to stand and hold your hands
above your head for 10 seconds."

Five other airports will be receiving and installing WBI units in the next
few weeks: San Francisco International Airport, Miami International
Airport, Albuquerque International Airport, Las Vegas McCarran
International Airport and Salt Lake City International Airport.