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CNN Saturday Morning News

Interview With Reynold Hoover

Aired December 29, 2001 - 11:18   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Airport security remains a high concern, and joining me from Jacksonville, Florida to talk more about this is Reynold Hoover, an expert on aviation terrorism. Reynold, good to see you.

REYNOLD HOOVER, AVIATION TERRORISM CONSULTANT: Good morning.

PHILLIPS: Well, we continue to report on these gaps and these individuals that slip through the system. What's going on here because there's been so many measures implemented? What's happening here? Where's the lapse?

HOOVER: Well, I don't know that there's a lapse so to speak. I think more importantly what it shows is that we need to look at aviation security as a series of measures, and it starts really at curbside with the sky cabs and then takes a next step to the ticket counter, to the gate agents, to the flight crew. All of those people are part of the human factor that's involved with security.

And then the next layer, I think we need to look at is technology. You know, there's no one technology out there that's going to take care of detecting firearms and explosives and other types of devices. So there's a technology piece that we need to do, and then we need to know, you know, who are these people that are getting on the aircraft and that's where the passenger profiling piece comes in.

So there's layers that we need to look at, and we need to reinforce the human factor element that's involved here.

PHILLIPS: Is there any way to detect explosives? Is there anything in motion right now or any airport that has some sort of system?

HOOVER: Well again, there is no one technology that's going to detect all realms of explosives out there, but I think what this does, it signals a need really for a national strategy that the Office of Homeland Security should implement. And that national strategy will focus and direct research and development and expedite the deployment of, not only trace explosive detection technologies, but also bulk detection.

You know currently now, research and explosives detection is being conducted by a number of agencies, ATF, the FAA, FBI, a number of agencies, and what we need now is a national strategy to really focus those efforts at the White House and direct those so that we can get that technology out.

PHILLIPS: Well what's this technology that was tested at Albuquerque Airport and it -- I was reading about this, about explosive vapors and being able to detect that?

HOOVER: Sure, one technology that was tested about a year or so ago, is a portal technology, and what that does is, you would walk through a portal and a blast of air would come across your body and then collectors would collect that air and then analyze it for explosive vapors and explosives residue that may be on your body. And they demonstrated that the technology works. The problem obviously is the cost of deploying that particular system.

PHILLIPS: The cost shouldn't be an issue, especially with our environment the way it is now, correct?

HOOVER: Well you're right, cost should not be an issue and that, I think, is one of the areas that the new Transportation Security Administration will look at, and how to deploy these technologies across the field and take it away from the airlines.

Certainly they should not bear the entire burden of the cost, but they are a very important player in the whole area of aviation security.

PHILLIPS: Let's talk about these profiling systems for a minute. For example, with Richard Reid, something was detected the first time around. He wasn't allowed to board the plane, but yet the next day he was able to get onto a plane. How do you avoid a situation like this happening again, or right now can we not avoid something like that?

HOOVER: Yes, that's a great question and I think that's where, as I mentioned at the outset, the human factor element that's involved in aviation security. Certainly the front line is going to be that one-on-one interaction between the gate agent and the ticket agent and the passenger.

We need to train our airline personnel, and again I would emphasize that this needs to be a team effort that starts at curbside with the sky cabs. And what we need to do is look at -- we need to ask them some more difficult questions, not just, you know, did you pack your luggage? Did anybody give you anything?

But we need to start asking more difficult questions about where have you been? What are you taking with you? And those type of things, and train the airline personnel to start understanding more human behavior. I would venture to guess that when Richard Reid went to the ticket counter, he probably was a little bit on the nervous side and there probably were some human behavior indications that would have tipped off a trained individual that, you know, maybe we need to subject this guy to a little bit further screening.

PHILLIPS: Reynold Hoover, aviation counter-terrorism consultant, thank you so much. HOOVER: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: All right, I'm sure we'll be talking again.

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