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The Best Portable Device for Contraband Detection

The Best Portable Device for Contraband Detection


To say that contraband detection is a difficult job is an understatement. Just imagine inspecting every vehicle that passes the border or examining a building or loads of cargo for any traces of hidden contraband. And law enforcement officers and border patrol agents do that as their main duty, every day.

It’s a physically and mentally exhausting job. Not to mention that there are potential safety, security, and even health risks that go along with their job. That’s why Campbell/Harris Security Equipment Company (CSECO) aims to provide contraband detection tools that are not only efficient and results-oriented, but also user-friendly, convenient, and safe.

Contraband detection tools these days have never been more portable or easier to operate, at least compared to the rudimentary tools that border patrol used to have a few decades ago. CSECO introduced the world’s first handheld and portable contraband detection tool, the Buster density meter.

Patrick J. Campbell, CSECO’s founder, had over 35 years of experience developing and designing equipment and tools that utilized radioactive elements. He invented the soil gauge, which was designed to determine the soil’s measure and mass, to determine whether it was safe to build roads and railroad tracks on it.

Because of his expertise and experience in this field, he was approached by the federal government who asked him to develop a contraband detection tool that would be able to locate hidden contraband in vehicles and other items and areas.

Campbell responded to the federal government by saying that he could develop and design such a tool. However, he requested that he be allowed to work with the end-users – the law enforcement and border officers. They were the ones who knew and understood what they needed to accurately detect hidden and locate contraband, such as narcotics and cash. Those days, they had to dismantle parts of a vehicle to determine the location of the contraband – and even then, they were not sure if the contraband was really there, destroying the vehicle along the way.

Campbell devised a prototype using radioactive isotopes that would help detect an object hidden or buried beneath an item. He worked with the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers who also contributed significant input and then tested the model in the field to ensure its effectiveness and efficiency. That model would then be the world’s first handheld and portable contraband detection device, the Buster K910B density meter.

While the original Buster K910B is now updated to Buster K910G, its fundamental technological functions are still the same. Like the Buster K910B, the Buster K910G has a low-intensity gamma radiation emitter and scintillation detector to quickly scan vehicles or residences for hidden contraband. It is designed to allow an inspector to search a suspect vehicle thoroughly for hidden contraband within five minutes. It allows them to scan an entire average room in ten minutes (or even less).

The Buster’s low-intensity gamma rays can penetrate into the item as deep as six inches. It can scan contraband hidden underneath other items – wood, metal, reinforced plastic, stone, etc. It can quickly zero in on the specific location of hidden contraband items – drugs, narcotics, cash, weapons, and explosives. They can even detect humans – for example, illegal migrants or persons who commit human smuggling hiding in precarious positions inside a vehicle.

When using the Buster, there is no need to take away parts of the vehicle, tear down walls, etc., unless it detects the presence of contraband.

The Buster K910G is also equipped with a RAD-Aware radiation detection feature. It allows a first responder to establish safe perimeters in the event of a dirty-bomb detonation or any other radioactive release.

One of the great things about the Buster K910G is its portability. It fits in the palm of your hand and is easily carried and transported. It weighs two pounds – not too light (as to be flimsy) but not too heavy, either.

If the Buster K910G being the best is just enough – it is also the safest! The radioactive source is now at 25% smaller than any other density meter and all lead components (which are found in the K910B) have been removed. These upgrades make the Buster safe to use for the inspectors, around K9 units, and also for the environment. The Buster K910G can be safely disposed of anywhere after removing the radiation label.

The Buster K910G – the world’s first density meter for contraband detection – is now even better for faster, longer, safer, more efficient, and more productive inspections for hidden contraband.

Tony Harris, President and CEO, and Pat Campbell, founder, of CSECO explain about the Buster density meter and other contraband detectors.

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