H.R. 1625, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018 allocated up to $10 million to be spent on airport testing equipment. Following a selection process based on aggregate data assessment of airports across the nation, the TSA selected Mineta San Jose International Airport and the Miami International Airport.
The Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport was selected by the Transportation Security Administration to test new airport perimeter intrusion detection and deterrence technologies, announced U.S. Representatives Zoe Lofgren (D-San Jose) and Eric Swalwell (D-Castro Valley) today.
“I’m excited to see another robust federal investment into improving security at Mineta San Jose International Airport,” said Lofgren. “By bolstering the technology deployed to keep our airport perimeter secure, we are taking steps to ensure the safety of businesses, travelers, and employees and help establish Mineta as the premier gateway to Silicon Valley. I’m eager to see this new program build off the sizeable federal investments in perimeter security I’ve helped bring to Mineta over the past several years.”
“I’m so glad that some of the $10 million I helped obtain for studying improvements to airport perimeter security will be used right here in the Bay Area,” Swalwell said. “Since my time on the Homeland Security Committee during my first term, I’ve known that we absolutely must update our thinking about how we protect our airports to keep America safer. Many airports are far too vast to have personnel watching every inch of perimeter, but new technology can serve as a force multiplier, letting us know when a breach happens anywhere, at any time, and help us catch intruders before they can do harm.”
“This is a welcome investment in further analysis, software and hardware to complement SJC’s recent security enhancements, which included raising the perimeter fenceline height and implementing the associated technology, also made possible through support from our federal leadership,” said Director of Aviation John Aitken. “We greatly appreciate the continued support from Congresswoman Lofgren, Congressman Swalwell and TSA Administrator Pekoske to secure up to $4 million in funding to further ensure the safety of the 14 million travelers who fly in and out of SJC annually.”
Lofgren and Swalwell have been instrumental in securing federal funds for Mineta San Jose International Airport. Over the past two years, Lofgren helped Mineta receive more than $16.5 million for infrastructure improvements and perimeter security upgrades. The $10 million allocated today is the result of a provision authored by Swalwell and included in H.R. 1625.
During the TSA’s test of perimeter equipment and technology, the TSA will consider installing, testing, and analyzing a wide range of technologies, including:
• Video cameras to allow operators to assess a situation remotely and in a way that other sensors cannot.
• Analytics software to automate the detection of unauthorized personnel and other potential threats within covered areas.
• Radar, microwave, and passive Infra-Red sensors which offer the advantage of covering a larger area than a typical camera.
• Laser sensors useful for securing large, straight sections of a perimeter.
• Fence sensors useful for detecting intruders climbing or cutting the fence.
• Unattended ground sensors to detect walking, digging, and vehicle traffic near the protected area.
• Other technologies including gunshot detectors, under vehicle screening at speed, and hailers.
