The public transportation system in Washington, D.C. is set to expand and improve its monitoring system for detecting chemical and biological threats, the Washington Business Journal reported yesterday (see GSN, Dec. 3).
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority has signed a new contract with Smiths Detection for development, installation and continued support for the enhanced PROTECT early detection system. Upgrades to the Program for Response Options and Technology Enhancements for Chemical and Biological Terrorism system are set to include the latest detection technology and software and upgraded video monitoring capabilities.
Boston, New York and the District of Columbia are the only cities to have the cutting-edge PROTECT system, which was first created by the government after the 1995 subway sarin attack that killed 12 people in Tokyo (see related GSN story, today). It has been in use here for five years (Jeff Clabaugh, Washington Business Journal, Dec. 9).