Random ferry searches to resume

SEATTLE – Random searches of vehicles boarding Washington state ferries will resume as part of a new plan for increased security, following an order Monday from the U.S. Coast Guard.

The changes come as the July 1 deadline approaches for ports and shipping companies to have security programs in place.

The new plans are part of the Maritime Transportation Security Act signed by President Bush in November 2002.

Searches will resume on or before July 1.

The state’s constitution provides the right to privacy.

But if there’s an “express order from the federal government … or if there’s a threat showing special circumstances,” those protections can be pre-empted, senior assistant attorney general Steve Reinmuth said after a news conference announcing the new ferry rules.

In 2002, random searches of vehicles boarding ferries by the Washington State Patrol were heavily criticized and eventually discontinued following opposition from the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington.

ACLU spokesman Doug Honig said he had not yet seen the security plan as of Monday.

“The ACLU certainly has concerns any time the government talks about conducting random searches of citizens without reason to think that an individual has done anything wrong,” he said.

Mike Thorne, the head of the Washington State Ferries, said the agency already has been conducting security sweeps and passenger cabin patrols in recent months in preparation for next month’s federal deadline.

He said passengers also can expect a larger presence of State Patrol dogs, which will screen vehicles as they prepare to board.

Some dog units already are in place but officials would not say how many. State Patrol Chief Lowell Porter said he expects to add another 15 to 17 dogs by November. They’ll be trained to detect only explosive materials.

State Ferries also will no longer accept freight that is not escorted by a passenger.

That includes such things as blood, medical equipment, architectural drawings, luggage and prescriptions.

The agency also is installing video cameras and generally increasing security at docks, with state troopers riding on some routes.

Other changes will include restricted access areas in ferry terminals, and once passengers board the ferry, they cannot leave without permission from the captain, Thorne said.

“With safety foremost in our mind, our plan is flexible to meet whatever threat level is imposed,” Thorne said.

Scott Davis, state ferries’ safety-system manager, said he could not say how much the security plan will cost each year.

However, he said to support the program the agency has received a one-time federal grant of $11 million as well as more than $2 million in biennial funding from the state Legislature.

The government started working to increase ferry security after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

The regulations were developed by the Homeland Security Department and the Coast Guard, which in the past several months has reviewed more than 12,000 plans submitted by vessels and facilities nationwide.

The Coast Guard has been patrolling ferry routes as a precautionary measure.

As part of Operation Port Shield, it will perform routine compliance checks at facilities and on all vessels entering U.S. ports, Lt. Andre Billeaudeaux said before Monday’s news conference.

“We understand the importance of finding the appropriate balance between security and the free flow of commerce,” Billeaudeaux said.

Washington State Ferries is the largest ferry system in the United States and the third largest in the world.

It has 20 ferry terminals and 29 vessels that carry more than 25 million passengers each year.