| Northern Border Security Deployment Project online
Innovations up and running in Washington state |
Before September 11, the U.S. and Canada took pride in the fact that the 4,000-mile line separating their countries had for many years been called "longest unguarded border in the world." The terrorist attacks on New York and Washington strengthened cooperation between the two countries, who are still proud of their unique relationship. In this case, however, the long-time friendship between the U.S. and Canada has translated into a push to construct a state-of-the-art security infrastructure along the northern border. | Supervisory Customs Inspector John Nolte monitors a northern border port of entry from the CASC.
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On September 26, 2001, the U.S. Customs Service initiated the Northern Border Security Deployment Project, an initiative that focuses on the development and installation of a modern video surveillance system at every port of entry along the northern border. Customs is currently installing barriers, gates, bollards, and lighting at these same ports of entry. The equipment being deployed at the northern border uses state-of-the-art technology. This new advanced system uses similar principals of a surveillance and security system previously deployed and tested along the southern border.In recent testimony before the U.S. Congress, Commissioner Bonner indicated that the Customs initiative to "harden low volume ports of entry by installing barriers, sensors, and monitoring devices" along the Canadian Border was moving forward quickly and successfully.By July 2002, these security improvements were up and running at every port of entry in the state of Washington. The Customs Area Security Center (CASC), located at the Pacific Highway, Blaine, Wash. port of entry, is able to remotely monitor all eighteen ports of entry in Washington State, and officials there predict that their computers will soon be equipped with even more sophisticated "facial recognition" programs. |
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