S&T Checked Baggage Program Fact Sheet
S&T is working on automated high-speed, high-performance checked baggage explosives detection systems for acquisition by the TSA.
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S&T is working on automated high-speed, high-performance checked baggage explosives detection systems for acquisition by the TSA.
The Department of Homeland Security, Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) recognizes that a dog's sense of smell is a million times more sensitive than a human’s. Canines can be trained to detect a wide variety of specific odors, such as explosives, humans, drugs, and even fruits and vegetables. Dogs are trained to alert to the presence of these odors with a learned response such as sitting or lying quietly.
Since the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007, the TSA must ensure that 100 percent of cargo on all passenger flights in the United States is screened. To assist, the Department of Homeland Security, Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) is characterizing the air cargo environment (cargo, contamination and facilities), assessing new and modified screening systems, and developing new and advanced screening and detection tools and technologies. New technologies must screen more effectively without impacting the efficient flow of air cargo.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) is researching technologies that can prevent or limit flooding in transportation tunnels. Initially, S&T focused on solutions that can be deployed in subway tunnels. Additional engineering will be needed to address the needs of major highway tunnels, as well as other key nodes of transit systems.
S&T partnered with the electric utility industry and the Office of Infrastructure Protection to initiate the Recovery Transformer (RecX) project.
The Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) have partnered with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the wireless industry to create a national alert and warning capability that distributes Presidential alerts, AMBER alerts, and imminent threat alerts (e.g., hurricanes and tornadoes, where life or property is at risk) to mobile devices, including cellular phones and pagers.
When first responders need reliable information about equipment, technologies and systems to inform their procurement decisions, their first stop should be the System Assessment and Validation for Emergency Responders (SAVER) program. Established and managed by the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T), SAVER provides objective, practitioner-relevant, and operationally focused assessments and validations of commercially available, emergency response equipment. The results of the assessments enable responders to better select, purchase, use and maintain emergency response equipment.
REDOPS is a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) program that supports public safety bomb technicians. The program provides a collaborative structure for addressing IED response and defeat capability gaps identified by federal, state and local bomb technicians, including the National Bomb Squad Commander’s Advisory Board (NBSCAB).
Project 25 Compliance Assessment Program (P25 CAP) Fact Sheet and Video from S&T with the Department of Commerce Public Safety Communications Research program.
S&T partnered with NIST to develop calibration materials (trace explosive simulants) and methods to improve detector performance for both current and evolving threats.