Pilot rail security program begun in DC | 12.08.2006 | 05:11:57 | Views: 4723 | ID: December 8 '06: Homeland Security officials in Washington DC are developing a rail security pilot program that would set up real-time video feeds along an eight-mile section of track to provide officials with quick data in case of a security breach or disaster, Security Info Watch reported recently. The program was begun in 2004 and is in the process of implementation pending an environmental impact report's findings and agreements with local DC agencies. Under the pilot, about 150 video cameras would be set up along a portion of track used by commercial rail lines, a commuter line running between Virginia and Washington DC and Amtrak. Using infrared lights instead of floodlights to reduce the light pollution to the residents and businesses in the area during night, officials monitoring the area would be able to restrict passage of certain trains, or be alerted to any possible mishap, accident or terrorist strike. Virtual "gates" would be used to "scan the trains for radioactive and toxic materials," Security Info Watch reported. According to an article in Government Security, the pilot program will cost about $10 million and that if successful in the DC region, it could be used as a model for the rest of the country.
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