MILWAUKEE — 2020 will be a busy year for Milwaukee and Wisconsin. Between the Democratic National Convention and the Ryder Cup, Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport will be put to the test.
"We have in the past had significant peaks. We've never had as many as we're expecting this year," said Tim Bragstad, Assistant Federal Security Director for Screening for the State of Wisconsin with the Transportation Security Administration.
An automatic bag reader scans each checked back allowing officers to track it through the network.
The bags then head off to a machine similar to an MRI. It can check more than 650 bags per hour.
Robert Ronge is the Transportation Security Manager with TSA at Mitchell International.
"There's algorithms in there designed by TSA to pick up anything that's not normal. Before it goes to search our folks sit in another room, look at it on a computer say this is something that I know what it is I can clear it, or I want this looked at and it gets searched," said Ronge.
The workers screening through a remote computer have about 40 seconds to decide to clear a bag or send it for a physical check. Officials said a small percentage of bags have to be physically checked.
Bags with heavy metals or a lot of cheese can be flagged in the process.
"Cheese on an X-ray looks exactly like an explosive. Very dense, can't see through the product," said Ronge.
If experts think a bag is dangerous enough it will end up in a heavy-duty unit that can withstand an explosion. The unit would move to a safe place for the bomb disposal team.
"Everybody asks have you ever had to use it? No, we don't want to use it," Ronge said.
TSA's employees are critical to the system.
They are constantly trained and tested on detecting suspicious materials machines could miss.
"They have to make decisions about those bags and they're split-second decisions. They always make the right decision and if they're unsure the right decision is let's get a better look at this and let's make sure what's in there is safe."
Months before major events arrive in Wisconsin officials say they are doing everything they can to make ensure a seamless experience at the airport.
