Registered Traveler Pilot Program Continues
Posted Oct 01, 2004
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The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) initiated a very limited Registered Traveler program on a pilot basis in July 2004. Information on this purely voluntary program can be found in our July 16, 2004 MurthyBulletin article, Registered Traveler Pilot Program, available on MurthyDotCom. The TSA, a part of the Department of Homeland Security, announced in the Federal Register on September 21, 2004, that they will continue the pilot technology program in 2005 and will test and evaluate the program after that.
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The purpose of the program is to identify qualified, known travelers through advance identification procedures for the purpose of expediting the security processing of these individuals. This will not only speed travel for those who volunteer for the program, but will allow the TSA to focus their security efforts on persons who do not have a proven track-record of legitimate travel into and out of the United States. The participants are prescreened and identified through use of biometric data when traveling.
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The TSA will use two methods to evaluate the program from the traveler's perspective and to collect data on the effectiveness of the technologies and processes used under the program. The first method will be a survey of the pilot program participants. The second method will be an interview with key "stakeholders" at the participating registered traveler sites. The stakeholders will be asked to designate representatives for the interview. As with the program, participation in the survey and interview is purely voluntary.
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We are pleased that this program will continue since it is aimed at facilitating legitimate travel and allowing certain travelers to proceed quickly. This program will also result in our government's focusing limited resources on identifying and investigating those individuals who may warrant greater scrutiny, thus improving security for all travelers.