see also: in July 2008:   CBP Discovers 2.7 Tons of Marijuana on Cargo Box Truck   Holiday Travel Reminder for Northwest Border Crossers   Current, Former CBP Employees Assist in Arrest of Purse Snatchers   CBP Officers Arrest Man Wanted for Failure to Register as Sex Offender   California SENTRI Participant in Hot Water, CBP Finds Dope in Vehicle   CBP Officers Arrest Man Wanted for Aggravated Sexual Assault on Minor   CBP Revokes Trusted Traveler Privileges After Finding Prohibited Items During Inspection ...more on cbp.gov:   CBP News Releases   Press Officers

contacts for this news release

Philadelphia - While the eyes of the nation descended upon Philadelphia during the National Governors Association Centennial Conference this past weekend, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers worked diligently behind the scenes to ensure that the nation’s governors enjoyed a safe and productive event.

Partnering with the Pennsylvania State Police, CBP officers operated a mobile non-intrusive inspection system and scanned 52 vehicles servicing the NGA conference site. Those vehicles included trolleys and delivery vehicles.

The NII is a mobile gamma-ray imaging technology that CBP officers use to inspect hundreds of thousands of conveyances (trains, vehicles, containers, etc.) passing through our nation’s over 360 land and sea ports of entry everyday. The NII system permits officers to quickly “see” inside these conveyances to detect and interdict contraband such as narcotics, weapons and currency without having to open a conveyance for inspection.

“Our NII technology contributes a unique capability that provides two distinct and significant benefits for law enforcement agencies charged with securing high-visibility events,” said Allan Martocci, CBP area port director in Philadelphia. “NII provides for timely inspections of the many vehicles making deliveries to the event venue, and it enhances officer safety by managing and mitigating potential harm to officers who previously had to physically inspect these deliveries.”

Large-scale NII systems, as a group, have been used successfully at CBP ports of entry across the nation to effect 645 seizures of narcotics totaling 154,100 pounds during fiscal year 2007.

CBP has also deployed mobile gamma-ray imaging systems during other large scale spectator events, most recently during the NASCAR races at Dover Downs International Speedway in May, and at Super Bowl XLII in Phoenix, Ariz., this past February.

“Our NII technology allows us to quickly determine the vehicle operator’s intent, whether it’s for legitimate event business or for some nefarious purpose,” said Martocci.

The mobile NII can scan vehicles up to 125 feet in length in one pass. One version of the system is mounted on a truck chassis and is operated by a three-man crew. The NII operates by extending a boom over a parked target vehicle and scanning the vehicle and its contents while slowly driving past it.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.