A Time for Decisions

John F. Infanger
Created: June 3, 2005

AAAE's No. 2 man Spencer Dickerson continues to insist that "security, security, security" remains perched as the top concern for U.S. airports today - from funding to installation to standards.

TWIC: Ongoing Development

SAFLINK Corporation (Nasdaq: SFLK) is a key technology provider to BearingPoint, the prime contractor for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) initiative. TWIC is the government's largest program designed to improve security at seaports, airports, rail, pipeline, trucking, and mass transit facilities by creating a nationwide credential to prevent unauthorized persons from gaining access to secure areas.

Under the auspices of the Transportation Security Administration, TWIC is currently in Phase III, the last phase prior to nationwide deployment, according to SAFLINK. In this phase, over 200,000 workers from maritime, rail, aviation, and ground modes of transportation have been issued a tamper-resistant, smart card-based credential that contains biometric information about the cardholder. Through this biometric data, each transportation facility can verify the identity of a worker and prevent unauthorized individuals from accessing secure areas. Approximately 36 test sites are now up and running across the country, primarily in the Los Angeles and Philadelphia areas as well as at Florida's deep-water ports.

When fully deployed, it's estimated that approximately 12 million TSA workers will participate in the TWIC program.

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