Ferry travelers face heightened security
SEATTLE – State ferry officials say new security regulations went into effect smoothly – for the most part.
But authorities ordered a half-hour-long hold on one ferry Thursday, after a bomb-sniffing dog screening vehicles at Colman Dock detected an “excessively high” radiation reading. Turns out one of the car’s passengers had recently undergone radiation therapy for cancer.
The Coast Guard officer let the car board the ferry at Seattle’s Colman Dock, but officials later decided to question the occupants further. They kept all other passengers and vehicles aboard during the questioning after the ferry arrived at Bainbridge Island.
“Obviously, this is not the kind of situation that we like to see happen,” Washington State Ferries spokeswoman Patricia Patterson said. “But clearly this issue of screening passengers thoroughly is a serious one.”
Radiation detection is not part of the new security measures, but a Coast Guard officer, whose explosive-sniffing dog was helping with the random screenings, happened to be wearing a radiation monitor, Patterson said.
Thursday marked the deadline for implementing new security measures required by the Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002. The ferry system has been phasing in the new security rules – which include daily screening involving State Patrol canine units – since April.
Ferry system staff worked with the Coast Guard and Washington State Patrol to develop a security plan that would ensure passengers’ safety without delaying commuters, Patterson said.
Bomb-sniffing dogs sniffed wheel wells, hoods, trunks and undercarriages of vehicles in waiting areas on several runs Thursday, including the morning commutes from Bainbridge Island and Kingston and afternoon commute runs from Seattle.
They did not detect any explosives. If they had, any occupants of such a vehicle would have been interviewed and possibly asked to allow a more thorough search.
State Patrol Capt. Fred Fakkema said ferry passengers over the holiday should be aware that the dogs can pick up the scent of fireworks.
Fakkema advised passengers either to avoid carrying fireworks on ferries or keep them in original packaging, and to arrive early and be prepared to answer troopers’ questions.
The new measures – based on a three-tiered terrorism threat level similar to the Homeland Security Department’s color-coded system – also meant walk-on passengers could not leave the ferry before departure without the permission of the boat’s captain.
The current threat level is the lowest of the three, ferry officials said.
Many ferry passengers said they didn’t notice or didn’t mind the new security measures.
“This is the first time I’ve seen anything with the dogs out here,” said Carl Bivens of Port Orchard, a local chai tea distributor, adding that he thought the dog sniffing probably was the least intrusive way to escalate security.
Joy Lockerby of Seattle said she welcomed the extra security, even if she wondered if it would make life more inconvenient for commuters in the long run.