JERUSALEM—Israel is well known for its stringent security practices, and that has not gone unnoticed by United States Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff who said he will look to adopt some Israeli behavior screening techniques to enhance security at America’s airports.
Chertoff, attending a conference here this week for public and homeland security ministers from around the world, signed an agreement with Israel to share technology and information on methods to improve homeland security, reported Reuters.
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Chertoff specifically wants to adopt some practices and technologies used at Israel’s Ben-Gurion International Airport, which uses strict security measures that rely heavily on behavior screening.
Chertoff said such methods, as well as Israeli technologies that detect explosives, may help protect United States airports and other public places against terrorist attacks.
“That’s a scenario where Israel has a lot of experience,” Chertoff told the news agency. “I think that it is of interest to us to see if there is any adaptation there.”
Even so, not all Israeli methods, such as questioning every passenger, are practical in America’s airports, Chertoff said.
Ben Gurion handles nine million travelers per year while major U.S. airports, such as Chicago O’Hare, see nearly 76 million passengers yearly.
One new technology that interested Chertoff was Israeli technology company WeCU’s solution that combines behavioral science with biometric sensors that attempts to detect harmful intentions among travelers.
“The challenge is to keep moving forward,” Chertoff told Reuters. “We need to continue to implement the measures we have in place and continue to look for additional things to match what the enemies are doing because they are constantly retooling themselves.”
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