CVAG Gets a Look at State of the Art Anti-Contraband Scanner
The Coachella Valley Association of Governments Public Safety Committee was treated to a demonstration of the Large Scale Inspection System (LSIS) at their meeting on Nov. 9.
Representatives from the Border Patrol and National Guard explained procedures for scanning vehicles at checkpoints on Highway 86 and Interstate 10. The scans have located contraband such as drugs, cigarettes, and even humans.
The self-contained passive radiological system is mounted to a large truck. With one pass, National Guard troops take a fairly detailed scan of the subject vehicle and compare it to a baseline x-ray of a comparable vehicle. If an anomaly is detected, Border Patrol agents search the vehicle in the questionable area detected by the x-ray. The process takes just minutes and has significantly reduced the amount of staff time previously needed for these searches. And that reduced time means less congestion at the check points.
Border Patrol Special Operations Supervisor Alicia Ramirez pointed out that tests of the system show no detectable amounts of radiation. The six National Guard members who operate the system received a significant amount of training with great emphasis on safety.
Members of the Public Safety Committee viewed a demonstration of the system including scanning of a vehicle, location of an “anomaly” and recovery of “contraband.” This multi-agency cooperative effort has been successful in locating persons and illegal substances in hidden compartments in vehicles from passenger cars to semi-trucks.