"Virtually every subway system in America has contacted us and is monitoring our progress," says McCarthy. "They want somebody else to shake out the wrinkles, and it looks like we're the wrinkle-shaker."
Commuter rail and subways are the initial focus. Eventually, though, MBTA police plan to extend the checks to buses and ferries.
To avoid delays at high-profile times when the percentage of bags checked is particularly high--such as the Democratic National Convention or when the terror threat level is elevated--police will discourage people from carrying bags or luggage on the subway. Officials don't expect delays even at these times, and if passengers are held up too long while undergoing examinations, operations personnel will be on hand to hold trains.
But time isn't the only concern. Worried about privacy rights, the ACLU and National Lawyers Guild have been holding information demonstrations, questioning some of the means of searching bags. Police physically looking through bags is the last option, behind machine sensors and canines trained to smell powder. While the MBTA "welcomes" some public skepticism, McCarthy says that "maybe the Supreme Judicial Court needs to take a look at this and provide legal guidance."
