SAIC Shows Crime-Fighting Technology

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URL: http://www.saic.com/corporate/news/news03-17-95.html


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   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.
   
   
     
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    Last updated on 07-05-95