By PATRICK GALLAHUE Transit Reporter
June 18, 2008
The MTA is testing a state-of-the-art security scanner designed to keep terrorists out of sensitive locations in the transit system.
The gadget scans the vascular structure of a person's hand to see if it matches with a database of authorized personnel before an employee is allowed to enter certain locations.
"It will protect the riders from having a terrorist or someone trying to get into an area they aren't supposed to be in and cause a problem," said Terry Wheeler, president of Identica, which manufactures the scanner.
Authorized employees are scanned in advance, and the structure of their veins is stored in the system, Wheeler said.
In order to enter a sensitive location, employees must place their hands under the infrared scanner to see if it matches what has been stored inside the device, known as the VP-II.
