Transport security adds thermal cameras

WASHINGTON, Oct. 4 (UPI) -- The U.S. Transportation Security Administration will use heat-sensing cameras to spot potential suicide bombers attempting to board trains and buses.

The 45-pound mobile cameras will be tested at entrances to transit stations and buildings, USA Today reported Thursday. Using the cameras will allow the screening process at checkpoints to move much quicker.

But American Civil Liberties Union activists told the newspaper the technology could result cause a hassle for people being searched because of something as benign as a wallet or cell phone.

The cameras take a quick thermal image of each person who passes and highlights "cold" objects, including metals, plastics and ceramics. If an object meets certain criteria then a red light will appear on the security computer monitor, prompting a search of that person, TSA spokesman Amy Kudwa told USA Today.

"This gives us additional screening capabilities in a mass-transit environment without stopping the flow," added Kudwa.