Comb your hair, straighten your tie and be ready, because you may be on camera, not necessarily a camera wielded by a tourist snapping views of the bridges, but more likely a surveillance camera designed to maintain security on Bay Area ferries.
A smiling attendant welcomes ferry riders to Larkskpur Landing, who asks them for their cards. The cards are scanned for any traces of explosive residue.
Advanced security technology detects over 40 chemicals in one swipe
By Wes Starratt, Senior Editor
Published: October, 2005
Comb your hair, straighten your tie and be ready, because you may be on camera, not necessarily a camera wielded by a tourist snapping views of the bridges, but more likely a surveillance camera designed to maintain security on Bay Area ferries.
You may even find yourself in the presence of uniformed members of the US Coast Guard, who are on board to provide law enforcement capability on the ferries. And, before boarding, keep your hands away from explosives, fireworks or garden fertilizers containing ammonium nitrate, or else you may have to explain to the authorities.
Back in 2002, the Maritime Security Act put a focus on port and ferry security and required the implementation of enhanced security plans. Coast Guard Commander, Jeffery Saine, confirms what he said at that time: "Two of our primary concerns along the San Francisco waterfront are the cruise-ship and the ferry terminals … and we have reason to believe that there has been some surveillance of ferry systems in this country. So, for some time, we have been having our armed and uniformed Vessel Boarding & Security Teams riding the ferries on a random basis."
"We are also working with the Bay Area’s Port Security Committee to identify both shortfalls and mitigations to heighten security. The ferry operators, the Water Transit Authority, and other concerned groups and organizations are all participating."
The Port of San Francisco responded to the concerns expressed by the Coast Guard and used a $3 million federal grant to provide increased security at the Pier 35 Cruise Ship Terminal, including a new entrance lobby, luggage processing and electronic signage. The balance of the grant was used at the Downtown Ferry Terminal where cameras, call boxes, electronic signs and other security equipment, were installed.
Capt. Jim Bamberger of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and currently the manager of the explosives screening demonstration project at Larkspur Landing said, "We think of ferries as both a target and a weapon for terrorists … much like airplanes," and emphasized, "The threat is real!"
Bamberger explained that TSA was created in response to the terrorist attacks of 9/11, originally as a part of the Dept. of Transportation, but later moved to the Dept. of Homeland Security.
Surveillance Security
Ferry and excursion boat operators on the bay have developed and are implementing enhanced security plans that include the security training of crews to identify suspicious persons and take action.
Deck hands are required to go through each boat, after every trip, and do visual sweeps to make sure that there are no unidentified packages. Card reader programs have been installed to gain access to terminal facilities. Surveillance cameras are being installed at terminals and on the boats.
The Golden Gate Bridge, Highway & Transportation District, along with other ferry operators, has played an active role in implementing enhanced ferry security programs.
A year ago, the District was awarded a $900,000 contract for ferry terminal security enhancements, with a major portion of the funding coming from TSA. Those projects have now been completed and include the installation of surveillance cameras, perimeter security panels, and gates at both the Larkspur and the San Francisco ferry terminals.
This year, the District is anticipating a federal grant in security funds totaling $442,000 for two projects: a new storage and inspection building for the delivery of supplies at the Larkspur Terminal and surveillance equipment at the Golden Gate Sausalito Ferry Landing, and also on the ferries.
Blue & Gold Ferries received $160,000 from TSA to secure its maintenance facility in San Francisco with gates, cameras, and a card-reader system for gaining access to the property. Additional funding of $375,000 was provided to secure its ferry operations at piers 39 and 41. TSA has also been providing funding to the other ferry operators around the bay, but as Steve Castleberry of the Bay Area Water Transit Authority points out, "You can’t have a one-size-fits-all approach to security, because the terminals not only vary greatly, but, in some cases, there is no terminal at all.
Explosive Testing
Largely because of the high volume of commuter passengers (4,500 per day) and the size of both its Larkspur and the San Francisco terminals, TSA recently selected Golden Gate Ferries for a 30-day testing program to enhance ferry security through advanced explosives detection technology. The program conducted explosive screening of all passengers boarding ferries, first at Larkspur for two weeks, and later at San Francisco for the balance of the month of September.
The program is a part of what TSA calls its Secure Automated Inspection Lanes or SAIL project that includes an earlier program for screening automobiles on passenger ferries. Funding, equipment, and personnel are being provided by TSA. The tests use "Ionscan" equipment developed by the Smiths Detection firm of Danbury, CT.
During the test, each passenger entering the terminal is handed a 4x7-inch card that collects evidence of explosives that may be on the passenger’s hands. Passengers proceed to a checkpoint where each is asked to give the card to a TSA staff member who passes it through the scanning device, which, within seconds, reports any trace of more than 40 chemicals and explosives that may be on the card.
If the reading is negative, the card will be shredded, and the passenger will be able to board the ferry. However, a positive reading requires a passenger to undergo a second screening in an adjacent area, probably with at least a few words of explanation to the authorities.
Project Manager Capt. Bamberger said, "We don’t want to be compared with complex airport screening, since we anticipate screening at a rate of 16 passengers per minute. In any case, the program will first be tested at Larkspur during non-commute hours, in order to get all of the "bugs" out. We have a mandate not to affect ferry schedules."
Furthermore, "We will integrate our tests of this system with other tests that we are doing on ferries to see how this program fits. Our first tests involved an automobile excursion ferry in New Jersey. Now, we are doing tests on a high-throughput commuter ferry. Next, we will probably try a combination of the two. So, we hope to look at the maritime picture on a larger scale and find things that fit."
"The procedures are as important as the technology and how commuters accept it. We will try to find screening procedures that will integrate into existing ferry operations."
Vice Admiral Harvey Johnson, Commander of the US Coast Guard Pacific Area added, "We expect to gather a wealth of information from these tests."
Project Manager Capt. Jim Bamberger of TSA explains the explosives testing program to reporters at Larkspur Landing.
