DHS issues contracts for better pocket radiation detector

DHS issues contracts for better pocket radiation detector    The Department of Homeland Security announced awards totaling about $22 million to develop next-generation pocket-sized radiation detector prototypes.
   All U.S. customs officers at ports of entry are outfitted with the hand-held detectors, but they are considered of limited use in alarming for radiation in part because of they require close proximity to the source of radiation and use old technology.
   General Electric Global Research, Niskayuna, N.Y.; Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, Calif.; and Smiths Detection, Pine Brook, N.J. received 27-month contracts to develop technology that detects radiation and can discriminate between actual threats and normally occurring background radiation. The machines will be designed to identify radioactive isotopes to inform officers of the type of radiation detected.
   Pocket detectors are also carried by border patrol, Coast Guard and other law enforcement personnel.
   The department is also in the process of purchasing advanced radiation monitors to upgrade deployed systems that can passively scan whole trucks and containers.