CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — A wire service reports that baggage screeners could soon be operating on trains, buses and cruise ships, the nation’s new director of maritime and land security said Monday.
“Passenger security will be dealt with the same intensity as aviation security,” said Richard Bennis, who spent his first day on the job addressing a Tufts University security conference.
Proposals to screen passenger baggage could be announced as early as July, he said.
Aviation security took center stage after the Sept. 11 attacks. Congress mandated the creation of a new Transportation Security Administration in November to take control of airline security from the airlines and the Federal Aviation Administration.
Bennis was tapped by Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta to supervise efforts to protect seaports, railways, roads, bridges and pipelines. His appointment marks an expanded role for the new agency, which is expected to have at least 30,000 employees by year’s end.
On Monday, Bennis said federal security directors will be appointed at the local level to oversee ports, bus stations, train stations, highways and pipelines. Federal marshals may be deployed in train stations or cargo terminals, he said.
Amtrak spokeswoman Cecilia Cummings said the railroad already does some baggage screening, but checking all bags would require substantial financial investment.
“Our checked baggage requires a valid photo ID, and we have employed bomb-sniffing canines to search luggage,” Cummings said.
A private company, paid for by the cruise lines, has screened luggage going aboard cruise ships leaving the Port of Boston since Sept. 11, said Jose Juves, spokesman for the Massachusetts Port Authority.