DHS tries to rein in proliferation of ID programs

DHS tries to rein in proliferation of ID programs The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is exploring ways to streamline the 22 different credentialing programs it manages to screen people entering the country, and working in the transportation sector to make sure they do not pose a terrorist threat, a top official said last Friday.
   The Transportation Security Administration, Customs and Border Protection, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement each have multiple programs for conducting background checks and issuing ID cards, including ones with biometric verification, to travelers and transportation workers. Programs for improving access control include the Transportation Worker Identification Credential, Free and Secure Trade Lanes for cross-border truckers, and CBP's NEXUS and TSA's Registered Traveler programs for low-risk, pre-screened travelers.
   Richard Barth, assistant secretary for policy development, said he has reached out to the RAND Corp., the National Academy of Sciences and other think tanks to evaluate the technologies and goals of each program to see how they can be collapsed within five years into a common platform for multiple applications.
   Barth said it will not be possible to only have one credential program because of the wide differences in existing requirements, but hoped that current efforts could be trimmed to a few programs.