WASHINGTON – Homeland Security officials say a government plan to check all airline passengers’ backgrounds before they board a plane could be implemented by this summer.
It’s such an urgent priority that the government will order airlines to provide background information on their customers to test the program, Homeland Security Undersecretary Asa Hutchinson said Monday.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Hutchinson said he wants to begin testing this spring. His spokesman, Dennis Murphy, said the plan could be fully operational by summer.
The Computer-Assisted Passenger Prescreening System, or CAPPS II, would screen all passengers by checking that information against commercial and government databases. Each passenger would be given one of three color-coded ratings.
Suspected terrorists or violent criminals would be designated ”red” and forbidden to fly. Passengers who raised questions would be classified ”yellow” and would receive extra security screening. Most would be ”green” and simply go through routine screening.
Homeland Security says mandatory background checks starting soon
January 27, 2004
0
Donate to The Battalion
$1015
$5000
Contributed
Our Goal
Your donation will support the student journalists of Texas A&M University - College Station. Your contribution will allow us to purchase equipment and cover our annual website hosting costs, in addition to paying freelance staffers for their work, travel costs for coverage and more!
More to Discover