John Pistole, administrator of the U.S. Transportation Security Administration, and other federal officials visited the Port of Long Beach last week to see firsthand the testing of the Transportation Worker Identification Credential program, a national identification system that requires transportation workers, including those in the maritime industry, to pass background checks before accessing port facilities.
All dock workers and drayage truck drivers are required to have TWIC cards. The Port of Long Beach is one of the few facilities in the country selected by TSA, which administers TWIC, to test an electronic reader system for TWIC cards. Pistole visited SSA Terminals in Pier A, one of five terminals at the port equipped with the electronic card readers.
Pistole also met with other agencies responsible for the multilayered protection of the port: local police, fire, U.S. Coast Guard and customs officials. During a meeting at the port’s Command and Control Center hosted by Port Director of Security Cosmo Perrone, Pistole commended the partnership and cooperation he witnessed during his visit and reminded all present “we are all in this together.”
