New Courthouse Body Scanner Looks Under Your Clothes

A new security gate which peeks through your clothes to see what you're carrying is now in place at the El Paso County, Colorado courthouse, the first courthouse in the US to have one, reports the Colorado Springs Gazette.

A combination of Department of Energy research and FAA funding has been turned into a product by a division of communications giant Level 3, L-3 Communications Security and Detection Systems. Using "millimeter wave" radio signals claimed to be less dangerous than a cell phone, the Pro-Vision body scanner can image not only metal objects, but pretty much anything being carried by a person entering the premises. Not to worry, though, the company says that "personal" areas of the body are blurred on the operator's screen, as part of a user-configurable privacy option.

The device not only can image most objects hidden about a person's body, it also can recognize typical articles of concern, which are highlighted in red on the operator's console. The operator sits behind a screen and cannot see the person passing through the scanner, and calls out to other security personnel if additional screening is determined to be necessary.

Courthouse "rush hour" in the morning is a source of increased anxiety for many appearing for hearings, as they find that they may wait in long lines for security procedures. The new device is capable of scanning up to 600 people per hour, which should help alleviate this problem.

In addition, some court visitors are subjected to searches when arrested on outstanding warrants, and personnel report that knives and other weapons are occasionally found even though the subjects have passed through traditional security. The more advanced capabilities of the new Pro-Vision scanner will reduce the likelihood of these objects making it through.

At $140,000 the price tag is considered fairly steep, and El Paso County has traded two security personnel for the additional capabilities the device provides. The additional speed and accuracy may make that a cost-effective tradeoff, they believe.