Government agencies and law enforcement officers that seek out illegal contraband turn to Campbell/Harris Security Equipment Company (CSECO) to make the contraband detection tools they can trust. Patrick J. Campbell, founder of CSECO, first designed and manufactured the Buster K910 Density Meter in the mid-1980s. Since that time, numerous government agencies as well as federal, state and local law enforcement groups have chosen the Buster because it has proven itself as being effective and trustworthy for close to 30 years.
Perhaps the areas of the country that the Buster and other contraband detectors from CSECO are used most often are the ports and borders of the country. US Customs and Border Protection officers have to be able to determine if contraband is present quickly. State troopers and local police officers may also need this type of technology during routine traffic stops. No matter the location, it is important that officers know they can trust the tools they use to be effective in alerting them to the presence of contraband such as drugs, weapons, cigarettes, explosive components or currency.
CSECO understands the need for trustworthy tools. In a June 26, 2013 article on PoliceMag.com, CSECO President Anthony ‘Tony’ Harris stated, “In the early 1980s, there wasn’t much technology to help the Border Patrol to determine if someone was smuggling something inside a vehicle.” He went on to explain that they used what they had, their hands and rudimentary tools, to try to locate suspected contraband. At the time, the chance of locating hidden contraband was hit-or-miss. Most likely most contraband went undetected.
The federal government approached Patrick J. Campbell do design a new tool, like his soil density gauge, that would detect contraband. Working closely with Customs and Border Protection agents, those who would be using the tool in the field, Campbell came up with the Buster which uses back-scatter technology to detect contraband.
The Buster emits low-intensity gamma radiation to measure an object’s density and indicates with an audible or visual alert that the density of an object is different. Since most items have a specific density, CBP agents would be able to quickly determine density changes which could indicate possible contraband. The Buster contraband detector allows officers to determine if contraband is present without having to tear a vehicle apart and then deal with the aftermath if nothing was found.
The Buster also has Rad-Aware® radiation detection technology which allows first responders to detect a possible dirty bomb detonation or the presence of other possible radioactive devices. When a first responder arrives on the scene, they can quickly set up a safe zone to keep citizens out of harm’s way.
The FV Series Fiberscope, also from CSECO, enables officers to see inside small and dark places such inside a car’s fuel tank, behind dashboard vents or behind car door panels without damaging the vehicle. The Fiberscope has 16,000 fiber optic strands wrapped in tungsten to protect them from gasoline or diesel fuel. The Fiberscope has two-way articulation and an eye-piece (or video display option) to allow officers to see what the naked eye would miss.
Because the Buster K910B has been in use for so long, it’s no wonder that the CBP agents and police officers that use it trust it implicitly. They know they trust the contraband detection equipment to lead them to possible contraband, help them verify the contraband is present, get the contraband off the streets, and keep their agents and officers safe.