Radio Tag Testing At Canadian Border Crossing

U.S. officials are testing radio frequency identification system technology at a handful of border crossings to see if the technology can be used to track foreigners who enter the country.

P.T. Wright, operations director for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s US-VISIT Program, says the technology is similar to the technology that is used to ensure quick passage at many highway toll booths.

The testing of the technology began in early August at the Thousand Islands Bridge, which connects Canada and the United States. The testing is also being conducted at a pair of border crossings in Washington state and another pair of crossings in Arizona.

The testing is part of the US-VISIT program, which uses fingerprints and photographs to confirm the identity of foreigners crossing the U.S. border. The radio frequency identification system works by using radio tags embedded into documents that foreigners present when they enter or exit the United States.

At border crossing points, antennas read the tags for coded and secure serial numbers, and the antennas are capable of reading multiple tags at the same time at a distance of 30 feet or less.

Officials envision the possibility of a streamlined system in which the tags are flashed by travelers crossing the border at highway speeds.
Abstracted by the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center(NLECTC) from CNN (08/09/05) .