The Mirror on a Stick

The Mirror on a Stick is Essentially Obsolete When it Comes to Under Vehicle Scanning

The mirror on a stick method of under vehicle scanning has been in use since the 1940s and is still in use in many industries today. But as terrorist threats and illegal activities increase, so too does the intelligence and sophistication of the methods used. It makes sense that the technology used by security personnel needs to improve to enable more accurate screening methods to counteract these threats.

One of the main problems concerning the use of handheld mirrors to determine illegal contraband is that security personnel are in a direct line of fire when investigating the vehicle, and as such, staff are exposed to potential and disastrous situations particularly when it comes to bomb threats.

Secondly, the manual method of under vehicle scanning is time consuming, meaning that a thorough check can take upwards of a few minutes. This then becomes a labor intensive exercise for the security team. In a busy vehicle thoroughfare, security personnel have the choice to stop and search each vehicle causing long delays at the entrance, or to only spot check certain vehicles limiting the success rate of their search.
Mirrors also unfortunately only have the ability to provide a limited view of the underside of the vehicle failing to highlight contraband which may be secured to the middle of the vehicle itself.

When comparing an under vehicle scanner to a conventional mirror search, it has many security and safety advantages that a mirror cannot compete with.
In terms of personnel safety, an under vehicle scanning system puts extra layers of security between the vehicle and the scanner. Trained personnel are able to inspect and review the scanning results from a safe distance without putting themselves in harm’s way. And instead of the whole scanning procedure taking minutes to complete, it can be done in mere seconds, with no need to delay the vehicles as they pass over the scanner.
Thanks to many major technological advances recently, the scanning systems are up-to-date in terms of make and model recognition and Automatic License Plate Recognition (ALPR). The whole underside of the vehicle can be accessed and compared, eliminating threats of terrorist activity and contraband smuggling, and stored in a database for future comparison.

While the mirror on a stick method may have limited uses in today’s searches, an under vehicle scanning system is paramount when it comes to ensuring your security and the safety of your staff.