Customs chief wants cargo inspections in foreign ports

The Customs Service's chief wants U.S. inspections done on American-bound cargo containers while they are in foreign seaports to prevent terrorists from smuggling any weapons, including nuclear ones, into the United States.

In an interview with the Associated Press, Customs Commissioner Robert Bonner also said it is essential to ensure that terrorists do not attempt to come into the United States aboard the roughly 6 million cargo containers entering U.S. seaports each year. Customs is looking to use more sophisticated scanning and detection technology at seaports and land crossings.

In other security news, The New York Times reports that a draft plan by the consultants advising the government on airport security calls for more thorough screening of selected travelers and a special card for pre-screened frequent travelers that would allow them to pass more easily through security.

The draft plan, written by PWC Consulting, EDS and EDS subsidiary A.T. Kearney, calls for an updated version of a computerized passenger-profiling system at the checkpoints and a "registered passenger program," under which people who voluntarily submit to background checks could pass through a streamlined security procedure.