New Airport Scanners Stacked Up In Storage

Homeland Security took 7 months just to order them
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 23, 2010 4:46 AM CST
New Airport Scanners Stacked Up In Storage
A man walks through an airport scanner at San Francisco International Airport.   (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Dozens of full-body airport scanners are gathering dust in storage more than a year after the administration provided Homeland Security with the funds to pay for them. It took the department 7 months just to order the 150 screening machines included in last year's stimulus bill. More than 100 have now been delivered, but the department is still working on a deployment plan, Politico reports.

The department celebrated this month's anniversary of its investment in airport security despite the fact that none of the stimulus-funded scanners have yet been installed. It has taken time to select locations for the high-tech screeners and negotiate with airports over how they will be utilized, says a spokeswoman. The first of the new scanners should be installed within a few weeks, and the department aims to have them all in place by the end of the year.
(More airport scanners stories.)

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