CUSTOMS, JACKSONVILLE PORT ADD SYSTEM TO FIND CARS IN CONTAINERS
U.S. Customs and the Jacksonville Port Authority last week deployed equipment that will allow Customs to peer into marine containers and trailers to find stolen goods.
The Stolen Auto Recovery (STAR) system, which was installed at Jacksonville's Blount Island terminal, uses gamma ray technology to scan cargo containers to produce images of their contents.
Containers and trailers, ranging from 20 to 53 feet long, are driven through the STAR system, installed inside the terminals main entrance gate, and Customs is able to check for stolen automobiles, machinery or even boats that may be hidden among legitimate cargo.
The gamma rays are not harmful to the driver, film, food or other cargo.
The system is staffed by Customs, with assistance from state and local law enforcement.
The unit is the second installed at Jacksonville, which is the second-largest U.S. automobile port, and handles nearly 350,000 containers a year, including 272,000 through Blount Island. The port's Talleyrand terminal received a mobile system in a joint port authority-Customs program. The port has also upgraded other security measures at its terminals.