Letter to the editor

Following is a response to an FCW.com poll question that asked: Do you support giving feds smart ID cards with biometric data, such as fingerprints, for building security?

Shall smart cards and biometrics be used together to screen for building access? For some of us, this or similar technology has been in use separately for years.

For physical security to keep intruders out, I think the technology is well proven and much more secure when used in combination. Smart card systems employed at the Energy Department and its facilities appear to be very reliable when new, but they can be lost, stolen or duplicated.

Biometrics currently cannot be easily duplicated. The two technologies — along with alert, observant occupants — should be effective at keeping intruders out of our buildings.

Derek Jones DOE/Fluor Hanford Inc.