A new portable backscatter device designed to perform x-rays of objects is set to be used by police departments to inspect vehicles as well as for “public safety,” according to the company behind the new scanner. The video for the handheld MINI Z Backscatter imaging scanner, developed by American Science and Engineering Inc (AS&E), brags that it will “allow operators to see more than ever in more places than ever.”
The scanner will be used by “law enforcement, first responders, border control, event security, maritime police and general aviation security,” in order to search for currency, drugs and explosives. Police will use the device to inspect “vehicle bumpers, tires, panels and interiors” and to detect IEDs.
Commenting on the roving x-ray vans, EPIC’s Marc Rotenberg warned, “Without a warrant, the government doesn’t have a right to peer beneath your clothes without probable cause. Even airport scans are typically used only as a secondary security measure. If the scans can only be used in exceptional cases in airports, the idea that they can be used routinely on city streets is a very hard argument to make.”