thedrifter
08-20-04, 06:07 AM
Sensor platoon sees them coming
Submitted by: Marine Forces Reserve
Story Identification #: 200481615611
Story by Cpl. Enrique Saenz
U.S. BORDER PATROL STATION, Rio Grande City, TX (Aug, 09 2004) -- Under the heel of a punishing Texan sun, a group of Marines trek through brush and cactus-
filled terrain along the Rio Grande River in search of the perfect spot to dig a hole.
The Marines from the 4th Sensor Control and Management Platoon (SCAMP) are looking for a place
to implant an assortment of sensors to help the U.S. Border Patrol stamp out drug smuggling.
4th SCAMP is in Texas as part of Joint Task Force Six (JTF-6), a Department of Defense command that offers operational, training, and intelligence support to domestic law enforcement agencies in their efforts to reduce the availability of illegal drugs in the U.S.
“We’re here to help the Border Patrol find people bringing drugs into the U.S.,” said Staff Sgt. Joseph Thayer, 4th SCAMP’s mission commander. “The sensors we put in the ground can tell us that someone’s there, and using a map, we can tell where he’s headed and how fast he’s going.”
Sensors are implanted in strings of three to five and are placed in paths drug smugglers are known to frequent and also in a few unexpected places.
“We usually ask the Border Patrol agents where the sensors need to be placed,” said Cpl. Justin Weaver, 4th SCAMP implant team leader. “They know the area, and know what to expect from the traffickers. Most of the agents are so experienced they can pretty much guess where they’re going to be coming from.”
All the sensors are monitored on a laptop computer equipped with special software that allows SCAMP Marines to monitor up to 504 separate sensors.
Once a sensor is activated, a SCAMP Marine plots where the activation occurred and waits for more activity.
“We wait for more sensors to activate on a string to make sure that it’s going off because someone’s there, and not because of something else, like a rabbit setting it off,” said Lance Cpl. Tim Rostas, a 4th SCAMP field radio operator. “When more sensors are activated on a string, we know we’ve got something.”
When they see possible activity, SCAMP Marines then relay the information to Border Patrol dispatchers, who send an available unit to the area.
4th SCAMP is using several different types of sensors for their mission, including infrared intrusion detectors (IRID) and magnetic intrusion detectors (MAGID).
“The equipment we have makes spotting bad guys easy,” said Thayer. “IRIDs let us see any heat a subject lets off, making him stand out from his surroundings, especially at night. MAGIDs let us detect vehicles. They’re very strong. We’ve found a person by the eyelets in their boots.”
With these tools, 4th SCAMP has assisted in numerous missions for JTF-6 since its inception in 1989. The unit plans to continue training along the Southwest border to keep them at a high level of sensor detection proficiency and to keep our country safe from external threats.
“We get to learn here. Here, it’s not life or death, meaning we don’t usually get shot at, and there’s room for error because we’ll learn from it,” said Thayer. “Overseas, we need to be perfect to come home safe.”
http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/200481615222/$file/activateLOWRES.jpg
Staff Sgt. Joseph Thayer, 4th SCAMP mission commander, prepares an ETU/SID sensor for implantation. 4th SCAMP uses sensors like these, along with infrared and magnetic detection attachments to help detect people and vehicles for Joint Task Force Six. Photo by: Cpl. Enrique Saenz
http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/2004816152511/$file/SENSORlowres.jpg
Lance Cpl. Tim Rostas, a 4th SCAMP field radio operator, replaces the batteries on a ETU/SID sensor. Periodically, signal strength decreases or false alerts are sent due to dying batteries.
Photo by: Cpl. Enrique Saenz
http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/main5/0794C9B4CC8FAA1D85256EF20068EFFB?opendocument
Ellie
Submitted by: Marine Forces Reserve
Story Identification #: 200481615611
Story by Cpl. Enrique Saenz
U.S. BORDER PATROL STATION, Rio Grande City, TX (Aug, 09 2004) -- Under the heel of a punishing Texan sun, a group of Marines trek through brush and cactus-
filled terrain along the Rio Grande River in search of the perfect spot to dig a hole.
The Marines from the 4th Sensor Control and Management Platoon (SCAMP) are looking for a place
to implant an assortment of sensors to help the U.S. Border Patrol stamp out drug smuggling.
4th SCAMP is in Texas as part of Joint Task Force Six (JTF-6), a Department of Defense command that offers operational, training, and intelligence support to domestic law enforcement agencies in their efforts to reduce the availability of illegal drugs in the U.S.
“We’re here to help the Border Patrol find people bringing drugs into the U.S.,” said Staff Sgt. Joseph Thayer, 4th SCAMP’s mission commander. “The sensors we put in the ground can tell us that someone’s there, and using a map, we can tell where he’s headed and how fast he’s going.”
Sensors are implanted in strings of three to five and are placed in paths drug smugglers are known to frequent and also in a few unexpected places.
“We usually ask the Border Patrol agents where the sensors need to be placed,” said Cpl. Justin Weaver, 4th SCAMP implant team leader. “They know the area, and know what to expect from the traffickers. Most of the agents are so experienced they can pretty much guess where they’re going to be coming from.”
All the sensors are monitored on a laptop computer equipped with special software that allows SCAMP Marines to monitor up to 504 separate sensors.
Once a sensor is activated, a SCAMP Marine plots where the activation occurred and waits for more activity.
“We wait for more sensors to activate on a string to make sure that it’s going off because someone’s there, and not because of something else, like a rabbit setting it off,” said Lance Cpl. Tim Rostas, a 4th SCAMP field radio operator. “When more sensors are activated on a string, we know we’ve got something.”
When they see possible activity, SCAMP Marines then relay the information to Border Patrol dispatchers, who send an available unit to the area.
4th SCAMP is using several different types of sensors for their mission, including infrared intrusion detectors (IRID) and magnetic intrusion detectors (MAGID).
“The equipment we have makes spotting bad guys easy,” said Thayer. “IRIDs let us see any heat a subject lets off, making him stand out from his surroundings, especially at night. MAGIDs let us detect vehicles. They’re very strong. We’ve found a person by the eyelets in their boots.”
With these tools, 4th SCAMP has assisted in numerous missions for JTF-6 since its inception in 1989. The unit plans to continue training along the Southwest border to keep them at a high level of sensor detection proficiency and to keep our country safe from external threats.
“We get to learn here. Here, it’s not life or death, meaning we don’t usually get shot at, and there’s room for error because we’ll learn from it,” said Thayer. “Overseas, we need to be perfect to come home safe.”
http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/200481615222/$file/activateLOWRES.jpg
Staff Sgt. Joseph Thayer, 4th SCAMP mission commander, prepares an ETU/SID sensor for implantation. 4th SCAMP uses sensors like these, along with infrared and magnetic detection attachments to help detect people and vehicles for Joint Task Force Six. Photo by: Cpl. Enrique Saenz
http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/2004816152511/$file/SENSORlowres.jpg
Lance Cpl. Tim Rostas, a 4th SCAMP field radio operator, replaces the batteries on a ETU/SID sensor. Periodically, signal strength decreases or false alerts are sent due to dying batteries.
Photo by: Cpl. Enrique Saenz
http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/main5/0794C9B4CC8FAA1D85256EF20068EFFB?opendocument
Ellie