The Washington, D.C., subway system, known simply as “Metro,”
is “the first test-bed in the world for surface acoustical
wave technology, which can detect the presence of chemical agents,”
said the system’s police chief, Barry J. McDevitt.
The 103-mile long Metro hosts approximately 1 million riders a
year and boasts the longest escalator in the western hemisphere.
The chemical detection system, which is now in use in portions
of the Metro, is able to detect chemical, nerve and blister agents,
McDevitt said in an interview.
Though Metro’s chemical-detection system made its debut following
the terrorist attacks of September 11, the program has been in development
and test phases for three years. Metro authorities started the project
following the 1995 sarin-gas attack on the Tokyo subway system.
Cult members accused of that attack dispensed the gas in the subway
by piercing poison-filled plastic bags with umbrella tips.
“We had grant money and an initial 12-month test bed to make
sure we weren’t getting false positives or false negatives,”
McDevitt said.
The Argonne and Sandia National Laboratories assisted Metro personnel
with testing and installation. The program was developed in cooperation
with the Departments of Energy, Transportation, Justice, as well
as the National Institute of Justice (the technology arm of the
Justice Department).
The tests accomplished so far, McDevitt said, “not only met,
but exceeded our expectations.”
McDevitt said he hopes that the use of this technology will expand
over time. “This program has applications at stadiums, shopping
malls, airports, etc. It’s not just for subways.”
“The world has changed since September 11,” McDevitt
said. “From January 1 to September 10, 2001, we had no calls
for investigation of liquid or suspicious substances. During that
time, we had reports of 70 suspicious packages and 13 bomb threats.
“But from September 11 to December 12, 2001, there were 113
calls for suspicious liquids, 341 suspicious packages and 23 bomb
threats,” he said.
“We’re lucky we were ahead of the curve on this one.
We were trying to make this program operational even before September
11. Now, there’s much more of a focus on security issues,
and the goal is to save the lives of people in close proximity if
an agent is released. We also will try to prevent injury or death
to first responders. We don’t want them to become part of
the problem. We simply want to limit casualties and protect life.”