Reply #12: US air marshals to deploy on ground transit

[UpInArms]

http://today.reuters.com/investing/financeArticle.aspx?type=bondsNews&storyID=2005-12-14T170359Z_01_N14160040_RTRIDST_0_SECURITY-MARSHALS-UPDATE-1.XML

WASHINGTON, Dec 14 (Reuters) - U.S. air marshals, who usually provide security on airplanes, will join local law enforcement this week to test how effectively they can boost security on ground transport, officials said on Wednesday.

Transportation Security Administration spokeswoman Amy von Walter said air marshals, bomb-sniffing dogs and TSA inspectors will work in a test program on mass transit, rail and buses in six cities across the country.

"We will be testing the agency's ability to deploy a variety of resources to quickly and effectively raise the bar of security in any mode of transportation anywhere in the country," von Walter said.

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Internal TSA documents, first reported by The Washington Post, said the program called for Visible Intermodal Protection and Response teams, or 'Viper" teams to be deployed on the ground-based transport.

The programs from Dec. 13-18 are each three-days long and will include mass transit and rail in Los Angeles, Washington, Philadelphia and Baltimore, but only mass transit in Atlanta and buses in Houston.

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