SCANNER BEING TESTED ON CARS TAKING FERRY AT CHERRY BRANCH

X-Ray Technology Capable of Exposing Contraband

HAVELOCK - Superman's X-ray vision was once the stuff of comic strips,
but a new security system being tested at the Cherry Branch ferry
terminal has made see-through technology a reality.

The Transportation Security Administration and the N.C. Department of
Transportation are collaborating on a four-week test of a vehicle
screening program at the Cherry Branch ferry just outside Havelock.
All vehicles planning to board the ferry will have to drive through
the American Science and Engineering X-ray detection system called the
Z-Portal. The device, tall enough for a tractor-trailer to be
screened, scans the sides and tops of vehicles to look specifically
for concealed threats, explosives and contraband.

"It's a more detailed picture than you would get with an X-ray at the
dentist's office," said Jon Allen of the Transportation Security
Administration.

Vehicles will roll slowly through the gateway as backscatter X-ray
detectors penetrate the metal and plastic, generating a photo-like
image of the driver, passengers and all cargo. It's sensitive enough
to see drugs smuggled in a car tire, cigarette cartons in a door panel
or plastic explosives in a wheel well, officials said Monday during a
demonstration of the system.

Officials expect about a minute delay before boarding the ferry, with
the scanning taking place only on weekdays.

"This will not have a negative effect on ferry operations," said Capt.
Jim Bamberger, branch chief of the Maritime Security Programs at the
U.S. Department of Homeland Security's TSA. He said drivers will pass
through the system at 5 mph, and that it is safe. According to the
TSA, the X-ray dose from the backscatter system is equivalent to the
ambient radiation received in two minutes of airplane flight at altitude.

The machine can scan up to 120 vehicles in an hour. "The only
limitation is the human side of it," Bamberger said. TSA security
officers inside an adjacent trailer view images of the vehicles,
looking for anything suspicious.

"It will take about 30 seconds for an empty vehicle and about a minute
and a half for a cluttered vehicle," Bamberger said.

If officers detect something out of the ordinary, the vehicle is
subject to closer inspection, usually with the aid of a bomb-or
drug-sniffing dog. If something turns up, Craven County Sheriff's
deputies will be on hand to handle any arrests or seizures.

Michael Zunk, federal security director for TSA at the Raleigh-Durham
airport, said the system was good at seeing through what could seem to
be harmless produce on a truck.

"If he says he's hauling watermelons and it's a solid substance
inside, then something's not right," he said.

Allen expects to scan about 900 cars and trucks per day with the
system. "For operational purposes we want to take as many images as we
can," Allen said. Bill Falvey of Cherry Branch said he rides the ferry
two or three times a week and doesn't think the scanning will be any
inconvenience. "I guess everything's better than nothing," Falvey
said. "We're a little remote, but everything needs to be protected
now. It's unfortunate that that's our life these days."

But not everyone agreed with that view. Some neighbors who have
watched construction for the test over the past several weeks don't
think it looks temporary.

Others, like Jack Clark, are concerned that the scanning process and
the cones set up well in advance of the entrance will further back up
traffic and make getting into their streets and driveways difficult.
"This is just another military application adapted for civilian use
that is being foisted upon us like so many other measures," Clark
said. "It's an abridgement of our right to be left alone."