ID card scanner improves gate security
Staff Report
Published: Thursday, February 1, 2007 5:04 PM CST
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The CardVisor III-BC-Pro readers can scan identification cards, and check them against databases stored in the reader. Lamp photo by Prudence Siebert. |
An off-the shelf device developed to keep undesirable people from entering casinos bars is now being used to keep unauthorized people from entering Fort Leavenworth.
The CardVisor III-BC-Pro readers can scan Department of Defense identification cards, U.S. driver licenses and other government IDs that use either 2D barcode or magnetic strip technology and check it against databases stored in the reader.
"It's another tool for the commander to ensure the safety of not only the Soldiers and family members but also the civilian workforce against unauthorized personnel," said Paul Salavitch, chief of the Physical Security Section at the Provost Marshal Office.
Before the ID readers were acquired, gate guards had to search a printed list of people who have suspended driving privileges, are barred from entering post, such as former inmates of the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks, or are on federal or state law enforcement wanted lists. Manually checking the list of about 800 names took time and only netted about six violators per year, said Eric Cashin, physical-security assistant at the PMO.
In contrast, guards using the ID readers have identified 17 barred people trying to get on post. On the first weekend of the scanners' use, two people were caught, Cashin said.
For customers at the gates, the ID scan is virtually transparent and makes the security check more streamlined and efficient.
"It's the same process they would go through anyway," Cashin said.
Guards like the easy-to-use reader because it makes them feel more effective, he said. The guards scan about 3,000 cards each week.
In late August 2006, installation leaders became concerned that the post had no effective means of screening individuals at access-control points. Working with limited financial resources and a self-imposed short suspense, garrison security officials identified, procured, modified and employed an effective system in three weeks.
Systems being used at other Army installations were expensive - costing up to $250,000 - and in most cases did not have the capability to perform the necessary task without modifications to software.
To find a more economical solution, the team began looking to the civilian sector and found a potential solution being used to check IDs at casinos, nightclubs, bars and other establishments that developed local watch lists or screened for underage people.
Security officials opted for the CardVisor III-BC-Pro system, which included two scanners, software and a computer. Although the $4,000 system required some software modifications, it was low-cost and could be fielded almost immediately.
Because of the success of the system, the garrison has expanded the capability of the readers to include scanning for the FBI's Most Wanted Criminals and Most Wanted Terrorists, as well as the most wanted lists from several surrounding states and metropolitan areas, Salavitch said.
The garrison will continue to build the watch lists to enhance security and reduce crime. Additionally, now that the concept has proven successful, the garrison will soon procure enough scanners to use in all access-control-point lanes.
Editor's Note: This article was condensed from an article written by Eric Cashin and Fort Leavenworth Garrison Commander Col. Timothy Weathersbee for the Military Police Journal and supplemented with information gathered by Jeff Crawley, Fort Leavenworth Lamp staff writer.
