URL: http://www.saic.com/corporate/news/news03-17-95.html *** About SAIC *** _________________________________________________________________ SAIC SHOWS CRIME-FIGHTING TECHNOLOGY (SAN DIEGO, CA) March 17, 1995 -- Illegal contraband hidden in trucks, boats and airplanes can be detected with the assistance of state-of-the-art technology developed by Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC). The portable system is being demonstrated Friday as part of the opening of the federal Border Research and Technology Center at the Otay Mesa port-of-entry. The center, which has been established through the efforts of San Diego U.S. Attorney Alan D. Bersin, will be the focal point for driving the design, development, manufacture and acquisition of specialized law-enforcement technologies. The center is expected to identify specific programs for development that could be used by a variety of law-enforcement agencies. Various technologies for fighting cross-border crime will be demonstrated during a mock Otay border crossing by a driver attempting to evade the law. San Diego-based SAIC's portable contraband detection system scans inaccessible areas such as wheel wells, bumpers, boat hulls and aircraft fuselages. The system uses a micro-processor, a self-contained low-level radioactive sources and a sensitive detector. As surfaces are scanned, concealed objects including weapons, narcotics, alcohol and explosives reflect the radiation, which is sensed by the detector. The system operator is alerted by both a backlit digital display, visible in all light conditions, and an audio beeper that increases in rate as the contraband is detected. The handheld system's total weight is about two pounds. SAIC also will show how vehicles can be "tagged" by radio transponders which can provide positive identification of cars, trucks or trains passing through a specific area. Already in use by several SAIC-equipped automated toll collection systems across the U.S, the transponders or "tags" are issued to specific vehicles. Attached to bumpers or placed on dashboards, the tags are read as the vehicle passes near an antenna installed over or at the side of the roadway. The signal is displayed on a computer screen, and the data is stored and available for further use. The system could be used to speed commuters or other law-abiding vehicles regularly crossing the border. Violators can be caught because the "smart" system senses when a vehicle crosses without a tag, and can trigger alarms, crossing gates or other barriers, as well as recording the violator on video tape. Operators can electronically enhance license plate photos to be read clearly and process enforcement action. "We at SAIC are encouraged by the opening of the Border Research Technology Center today. This Center will provide the opportunity to apply high-technology solutions in support of increased trade as a result of NAFTA as well as support national law enforcement efforts at the border," said Dr. Donald M. Kerr, executive corporate vice president of SAIC. SAIC also provides other vehicle tracking systems that can trace the movements of railroad cars and detect motorists who evade barriers such as railroad grade crossings. The high-technology company also has developed methods of tracing small motorized boats, submersibles and even swimmers crossing strategic waterways, as well as other imaging applications. SAIC provides services and products to government and the private sector in the areas of law enforcement, transportation, energy, environment, health care and systems integration. With annual revenues of $1.9 billion, the company and its subsidiaries have nearly 20,000 employees and more than 300 locations worldwide. _________________________________________________________________ Copyright SAIC Home _________________________________________________________________ Last updated on 07-05-95