kfoxtv.com
EL PASO, Texas -- The 700 miles of fencing along the U.S.-Mexico border includes a virtual fence made up of a network of cameras, sensors, enhanced communications and upgraded vehicles. The sophisticated equipment is supposed to work as the extra eyes and ears for Border Patrol agents monitoring the open desert. But the first 28 miles of the high-tech virtual fence went up in Arizona, and has seen its share of glitches.
T.J. Bonner with the National Border Patrol Council said glitches include a radar that confused raindrops for undocumented immigrants. He said, "One officer reported that he saw a group of 80 illegal aliens moving northward and then after the end of shift went back to see if the technology had spotted it. It had not."
Some of the faulty equipment has been replaced or fixed, but that is not enough to convince some people the government should continue with the project.
"It makes the department look bad. It makes Border Patrol less effective if they can't count on the machines that are put there to help them run a more effective border checks," said Beth Kurland of west El Paso.
Posted by tyne at February 16, 2008