NCJ Number
85200
Journal
FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin Volume: 51 Issue: 9 Dated: (September 1982) Pages: 1-6
Date Published
1982
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This article describes nuclear security for the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL), which conducts research with atomic reactors.
Abstract
Located on the Snake River Plain between Idaho Falls and Arco, Idaho, INEL occupies 270 square miles. Because of the strategic importance of the nuclear material used, security procedures are elaborate. A combination of multiple barriers and fencing is used, and sophisticated alarms and lighting, together with closed-circuit TV, provide assessment capabilities. Personnel monitoring and X-ray equipment have been installed to check employees and containers carried into and out of the facility. Plant entrance guardhouses, communications centers, and monitoring control locations are hardened to ensure a secure and uninterrrupted operation. Computerized access controls using key card systems record all accesses for emergency situations as well as for information and investigative purposes. Two-man rules are enforced, and background clearance investigations are conducted on employees who use, control, or protect nuclear material and those whose work assignments demand that they be trustworthy. Guard forces receive intensive training in the use of special weapons, armored vehicles, night vision devices, and technical communications equipment. A vital part of the operations and security program is the warning communications center. This center, operated around-the-clock by Federal uniformed personnel, monitors and controls 19 radio nets and can tie any or all together as necessary.