THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, September 6, 1996 TAG: 9609060485
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: D1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY RICHARD KEIL, ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: 73 lines
To combat terrorism in the skies, the Clinton administration recommended Thursday that computer profiles be done on airline passengers and that airports install advanced bomb-detection devices.
The administration said it would ask Congress for $300 million to buy the bomb detectors. The request was just one of several recommendations made by the White House Commission on Aviation Safety and Security, created on July 25 by President Clinton in the aftermath of the crash of TWA Flight 800.
But Vice President Al Gore and other panel members were quick to point out that the battle against terrorism is likely to continue, regardless of the new security measures being proposed.
``We may never see an end to terrorism, but we sure are going to do our level best to combat it,'' said Gore, the panel's chairman.
The proposal for the government pay for the machines, which cost more than $1 million apiece - broke a logjam. In recent years, airlines and airport officials have balked at paying for the equipment, arguing that the government should foot the bill.
Gore's commission apparently agrees.
``The initial purchase of these machines should be financed by the supplemental appropriation,'' Gore said, ``because it is clear that the terrorist attacks . . . represent an attack on the United States of America. There is clearly a national interest here.''
Among the other key recommendations:
A computer-profiling system to track passengers and identify those with suspicious travel patterns.
New security measures for the screening of mail and cargo carried aboard passenger aircraft.
Mandatory fingerprinting and criminal background checks for all airline personnel with preflight access to planes and baggage.
A requirement for a 100-percent match between passengers and luggage on an aircraft.
More bomb-sniffing dogs in airports.
Increased use of FBI counter-terrorism training at airports abroad where specific security threats have been documented.
With the exception of the supplemental budget request for the bomb-detection machines, none of the initiatives requires congressional authorization.
``Most of the new security measures we are going to be recommending can be put in place immediately,'' Gore said. ``These actions are tough, doable, and we're going to get them in place quickly and effectively.''
Gore aides said Republican congressional leaders were being briefed on the budget request.
``There is a sense that something will get through Congress,'' said one administration official, who spoke on the condition he not be identified.
The computer passenger tracking system would allow airlines to identify travelers whose routes and travel patterns raise suspicion. Flight lists also could be matched with lists of known terrorists compiled by intelligence and law enforcement agencies. Similar methods have been used in drug interdiction efforts.
What the new moves will mean to air travelers - in terms of cost and delay - was not immediately clear. But industry groups were cautiously optimistic that the plan would not drive up the price to consumers - although delays are another matter.
The requirement to match each piece of luggage with a passenger ``could mean enormous delays,'' said David Fuscus, a spokesman for the Air Transport Association, an industry group of 22 airlines. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo by Gary C. Knapp/The Virginian-Pilot
Passengers at Norfolk International Airport faced more extensive
searches of bags after the July crash of TWA Flight 800 in New York.
KEYWORDS: BOMB DETECTION DEVICE AIRPORT by CNB