Embassy Events 2003
U.S. Donates $120 Thousand in Radiation Pagers To the Polish Border Guards
17 March 2003On March 17, 2003,
during a ceremony at Warsaw's Okecie Airport, Deputy Chief of Mission
of the U.S. Embassy Cameron Munter turned over 86 radiation pagers --
worth $120,000 -- to the Chief Commander of the Border Guard, General
Jozef Klimowicz.
A radiation pager doesn't differ much from a
conventional pager. If it detects a source of radiation within a 15
meter radius, the pager will flash, beep or vibrate. It is hundreds
times more sensitive than a Geiger counter, and is equally small at
only 10X6X2.5 cm.
During the ceremony, Munter said, "The United
States has always seen Poland as a steadfast partner in the global
effort to stop the proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD).
In this joint effort, the Border Guards, who are Polands -- and soon to
be Europes -- front line of defense, have a crucial role to play in
deterring the smuggling or transit of WMD."
Munter said the U.S.
Embassy has cooperated with the Polish Border Guard for many years
under a U.S. Government assistance program, which has funded modern
equipment, as well specialized training for various Polish institutions
and agencies.
Munter emphasized that he was very pleased to say
that the equipment was manufactured by Sensor Technology Engineering
from my native State of California.
The Chief Commander of the
Border Guards, General Jozef Klimowicz said, The radiation pagers
presented to Poland are complementary to those already in use by the
Polish Border Guards, and are an effective element in protecting the
country's border from radiation, especially on the European Union's
[anticipated eastern] border. He also noted that all Polish border
crossings are equipped with radiation gates, which make it possible to
detect any nuclear materials.
 The Embassy's Deputy Chief of Mission Cameron Munter (right) hands one of the donated radiation pagers to the Chief Commander of the Border Guards, General Jozef Klimowicz. |  The radiation pagers are as big as a conventional pager. |  Officers from the Polish Border Guard watch as the Embassy donates $120,000 in radiation pagers. | |
