DHS plans turnover of cargo inspection equipment

   U.S. Customs’ fleet of 307 large-scale vehicle inspection systems and radiation portal monitors needs to be replaced because it is aging, requires more maintenance, and is based on older technology, according to the agency and port officials.
   Older radiation portal monitors, which passively detect the presence of radiation in trucks that drive between its sensors, are scheduled to be phased out under a DHS recapitalization plan. The department was unable to provide details of the plan or how many units were at the end of their lifecycle. 
   Included in the administration’s fiscal year 2017 budget request was $55 million for the acquisition of non-intrusive inspection equipment, not including RPMs.
   David Espie, director of security for the Maryland Port Administration, testified during a July 7 House hearing that  RPM maintenance records ought to be shared with port security directors, so they are confident the machines are working at peak effectiveness. 
   He also complained that CBP is shifting the burden for funding installation of RPMs to port authorities when they opt to expand the number of truck lanes at their exit gates. 
   It’s another example of federal responsibilities devolving to the state or local level, he said in an interview. CBP rations manpower at ports of entry based on its budget, often leaving checkpoints understaffed or operating on shorter hours than warranted by passenger or cargo volume. Communities that want to avoid bottlenecks at transportation hubs and minimize the impact on the local economy can pay, often through port authorities, the overtime costs of CBP personnel when additional hours of screening are necessary.
   “Our port manager is not happy with this pay-to-play thing,” Espie said. “We just feel that taxpayers pay enough money into the federal system for a service that is mandated legislatively and it should be provided” by CBP.