The radiation sniffer in NYC and proposed for elsewhere in the US is described in this DOE doc: http://www.eml.doe.gov/factsheets/HS_Platform.pdf Here's the aircraft monitoring program: http://www.eml.doe.gov/factsheets/rampscan.pdf There's more on a variety of homeland security monitoring programs at http://www.eml.doe.gov/factsheets/ EML is the DOE's Environmental Monitoring Laboratory located in NYC, whose history goes back to the earliest days of the nuclear age when it was set up to track medical and health effects of nuclear weapons. It now does worldwide monitoring of nuclear activities. Why is it located in NYC? Up on the 7th Floor of a non-descript office building, along with a batch of federal agencies such as a passport office, social security and what not. The classified work of the lab must account for the amazing entrance security you have to go through to get a passport renewed. Reminds of going to a plain-jane office building at an outer edge of DC a while back, heading for a meeting with a construction firm, when, bam, step inside the lobby and there you are facing a heavily armed phalanx of federal police and camouflaged soldiers. You ask the M-16 bristling receptionist about the firm and she barks for the team to surround the perp, demands ID, says you know where your are. Uh, sure, I say, this is the capital of the free world. Smart ass, she says, not any more. This country is ours. Show me what's in that bag. So I did. She screamed when it dawned on her what she was seeing in my tote. The troops jumped back as if electroshocked. Sir, she said, we would appreciate it if you would just leave. Yes, sir, the troops chorused, just please leave the premises, what's in that bag is not what we enlisted to handle. Here, I said, taking the device out of the tote, have a taste. No, no, no, they all yelped, and backed against the wall, legs shaking, weapons clattering to the floor, please take it away. Have mercy, sir. Well, I said, okay, if it scares you, and put away the gleaming jewel of kryptonite, titled fine print US Constitution, printed in China.