DHS awards contract for surveillance systems along U.S.-Canada border

The Homeland Security Department awarded a $20 million contract to Boeing Co. to develop video surveillance systems in Buffalo, N.Y., and Detroit and will evaluate the systems during the next year to determine enhancements that should be made to support agents patrolling the U.S.-Canada border.

The contract, the SBInet Northern Border Project, will deploy the first technology along the border with Canada and includes installing 11 remote video surveillance systems in Detroit and five in Buffalo.

Border Patrol agents will evaluate the systems through March 30, 2010, and report on a range of performance criteria, including the network's technical performance, places where other cameras may be needed, and the value of the data the system captures. DHS selected the cities because of their diverse landscapes, which include coastal maritime environments, rivers, and urban and rural areas.

"The intent of the program is to put some surveillance technology in parts of the border that have not had any, but also to evaluate the experience to help advise future requirements and designs," said SBI Executive Director Mark Borkowski. "The question is, with the investment, what do we do first, and at what pace?"

DHS expects to begin the project along the border between April and June and conclude by the end of the year. The department will invest in applications that integrate surveillance video with data taken from sensors that support northern border security, such as the Customs and Border Patrol air and marine forces, and state and local law enforcement. DHS has an additional $40 million set aside for SBInet in 2009 that will fund the efforts.

"We may buy more of these [surveillance] systems, but another important option is to find a better way to tie together the sensors, systems, data and participants in border security," Borkowski said. "Can I marry [video surveillance] with other sources of sensor data and other participants in border security to get more value add?"

When asked whether DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano fully supported the project, Borkowski said she is "looking at the northern border in its totality," and indicated that SBI, which has focused primarily on the southwest border, needs to do the same. "This down payment is consistent with that," Borkowski said.

"I don't think there's any question that technology is very valuable on the northern border," he said. "[SBInet] is not the only technology game in town, but it's a significant one."