Heathrow Prepares to Install Facial Recognition Scanners

Heathrow, the largest airport in the U.K., will begin installing facial recognition scanners in September to prevent illegal immigration.

The scanners will go in two terminals where international and domestic passengers commingle--an environment that makes it possible for a passenger to bypass the immigration counters.

The facial recognition will prevent, for example, a U.S. passenger from getting a domestic ticket from another passenger in the departure lounge and then flying to Glasgow. Now, the scanners will ensure that each ticketed passenger boards the correct flight.

Passengers' faces will be scanned after they've received their boarding pass and just before they go through security. Then, their faces will be scanned again once they've left the departure lounge and before they board their flight.

Aurora Computer Services, a U.K.-based company created the Aurora Image Recognition system, which uses a camera with an infrared flash. It'll be able to identify a person from about 3 feet away in 4.7 seconds. 

Avatar Border Agent Knows When You're Lying

Federal agents have a new tool to thwart border crime. University of Arizona researchers have developed  the Automated Virtual Agent for Truth Assessments in Real-time, or AVATAR. It is a lie detector that analyzes and detects features associated with people telling lies.

"An agent can't detect changes in your pupil changes down in the millimeter level," said Doug Derrick, one of the university researchers. "They can't, but the machine can provide that."

The kiosk uses a high-definition camera to capture facial expressions, infrared sensors that detects eye dilation and movements, and a voice recorder that analyzes what people say and how they say it.

If someone is lying, the AVATAR will say "I am detecting deception in your response."

Watch: Drug smugglers in Mexico Use Giant Catapult to Hurl Marijuana Over the Border

Yes, it's 2011, but Mexican drug smugglers were using a catapult to launch packages of pot over the border.

The U.S. National Guard at the Naco Border Patrol station in Arizona caught the action on a surveillance camera and alerted the Mexican Army who seized the catapult.

Mexican Surveillance Drone Crashes in Texas

A mysterious unmanned aerial drone that is owned by the Mexican government crashed into an El Paso, Texas, resident's backyard this week, raising questions about why the surveillance craft had entered U.S. airspace.

Local Border Patrol agents recovered the UAV and returned it to the Mexican government. Officials wouldn't speculate on the UAV's mission, but the National Transportation Safety Board is currently investigating the incident. 

According to ABC News: 

The device, identified as a "mini orbiter UAV," is a wing-shaped aircraft that can fly stealthly at altitudes up to 18,000 feet and remain in the air three to four hours. The drones can typically be operated by a single individual.

"I don't think there's any cause of concern at all for national security," said Vincent Perez, spokesman for Rep. Silvestre Reyes, D-Texas, former chief of the U.S. Border Patrol-El Paso sector and chairman of the House Select Committee on Intelligence. "These are the types of things that happen when you live in a border community. ... This just shows that Mexico is trying to get tough with new technology."

Border Security by Way of Text Messaging

In Spokane, Wash., if you see suspicious border crime, you can text an anonymous tip to the U.S. Border Patrol.

The Spokane Sector Border Patrol and Anderson Software, a provider of law enforcement tip management software and Web applications, have joined together to provide this service.

“The popularity of text messaging has created a significant opportunity for the public to assist the Border Patrol in combating cross-border crime and smuggling,” said Spokane Sector Acting Chief Patrol Agent Tim York. “The ability for any citizen who owns a mobile phone to assist in accomplishing our mission of securing America’s borders is of great importance, and we are excited to play a pivotal role in the transmission of these crime fighting tips.”


TipSoft Text Tips encrypts text messages and routes them through several secure servers, protecting the personal details of the tipster. The service also allows law enforcement to respond to the tipster without ever knowing his or her identity. The user’s information is assigned an alias and a unique ID before being sent. This secure application allows the tipster and law enforcement to have a two-way dialog while always keeping the user’s identity completely anonymous.

The number to text is "CRIMES" (274637), or send a tip through the WebTips' website, https://www.tipsubmit.com/.