TSA begins issuing ID cards to port workers

After considerable delays, about 5,000 workers at the Port of Wilmington, Del., began enrolling Tuesday in a Homeland Security Department identification card program designed to enhance port security.

The progress comes amid criticism from Democratic lawmakers that the program, established in December 2001 to better control access to facilities and vessels, has been implemented too slowly. A million workers still are awaiting enrollment for the Transportation Worker Identification Credential, and card readers have yet to be installed.

"The Department of Homeland Security owes the American people an explanation on why it has taken five years and millions of dollars to roll out the TWIC card," said Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee. "The department has yet again demonstrated an inability to successfully implement a program that is vital to our nation's homeland security. These failures can be directly linked to high turnover and the lack of quality leadership from the political managers at the department."

The delays have been attributed mostly to funding and policy challenges, and the need for system checks.

"This is one of the world's most advanced, interoperable biometric-enabled programs, with more than a million workers expected to enroll over the next year," said Maurine Fanguy, the program's director at DHS' Transportation Security Administration. "For a program of that size and scale, we wanted to make sure we checked [the system]."

Capt. Mark O'Malley, chief of port and facility activities with the Coast Guard, reiterated the need to be thorough. "[TWIC] took longer than expected, but we're not dealing with a homogenous system here. We wanted to do it once, and do it right -- ensuring proper security and not interfering with commerce."

The credentials issued to port workers comply with Federal Information Processing Standards Publication 201, which specifies requirements for personal identity verification of federal employees and contractors. These standards also apply to smart cards issued under a separate presidential mandate (Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12) requiring standard ID cards for access to federal agencies and computer systems.

The port worker ID program, however, incorporates some capabilities not yet mandated by other federal smart card initiatives, including biometrics and technology allowing the cards to be read from a distance through radio frequency signals.

Not all of these capabilities can be used yet. For instance, there are card readers on the market that are compatible with TWIC, but they aren't able to scan the credentials from a distance. The next phase of the project will set requirements for card readers.

Once requirements are proposed, the various vendor offerings will be tested early next year through a pilot program. The deadline to comply with final provisions is September 2008.