Allied Universal® has secured a patent for its K9-Comply® platform, a specialized compliance and documentation tool developed by the company's Enhanced Protection Services division.
This innovative platform is crafted to align with and surpass the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) 3PK9 program standards for air cargo canine screening, efficiently capturing canine inspections alongside key data such as shipment details and screening occurrences, thereby creating an audit-ready evidence package.
Potential Adverse Actions
Glen Kucera, President of Allied Universal Enhanced Protection Services, emphasized the platform’s significance: "This patent represents an important step forward in how regulated security operations are managed in critical environments. By integrating processes required in this important regulated industry into one platform, we’ve created a powerful tool that has successfully supported clients through more than 500 TSA audits. This achievement underscores the platform’s effectiveness in maintaining full regulatory compliance and protecting clients from potential adverse actions."
The compliance team at Allied Universal has collaborated with industry stakeholders to keep K9-Comply in line with the evolving landscape of TSA regulations concerning canine air cargo screening. Launched in 2020, the platform is presently operational across over 160 sites nationwide, managed by Allied Universal's canine handlers and operations staff. It aims to lessen administrative workloads for clients and enhances operational efficiency while ensuring seamless cargo transfers.
Major Industry Advancement
The K9-Comply system marks a significant leap forward in the field of regulated canine air cargo operations
Allied Universal's global chairman and CEO, Steve Jones, remarked on the company's dedication to innovation: "Innovation is key to our growth and this patent reflects our dedication to advancements in the air cargo screening industry. As technology continues to reshape the security landscape, we remain committed to developing solutions that enable our clients to operate with confidence in an increasingly complex world with solutions that help meet the highest canine air cargo security standards."
The K9-Comply system marks a significant leap forward in the field of regulated canine air cargo operations. The cloud-based platform, fully integrated and centralized, manages and distributes all necessary documentation under the Certified Cargo Screening Program-K9 (CCSP-K9) process, facilitating complete TSA compliance through comprehensive tracking, document creation, and transfer processes.
Explosives Detection Technology
This patent adds to Allied Universal’s portfolio in explosives detection technology. The firm previously launched its SmartTech® platform, which integrates on-site screening with real-time support and is recognized for its patented explosive detection innovations.
When a suspicious X-ray image is detected, the SmartTech solution facilitates sending the image to the Emergency Operations Center, where bomb technicians conduct analyses to issue alerts or confirm non-detections. In 2018, Allied Universal earned a patent for Alarm Resolution capabilities, merging SmartTech with canine explosive detection screening, allowing for initial threat sweeps and subsequent X-ray verification for confirming actual explosive threats.
Allied Universal®, a security and facility services provider, today announced it has been issued a patent covering methods used in its K9-Comply® platform, developed by its Enhanced Protection Services business unit. The proprietary compliance and documentation platform is designed to meet and exceed Transportation Security Administration (TSA) 3PK9 program requirements for air cargo canine screening processes.
K-9 Comply uses a mobile workflow to record canine inspections and associate it with key inspection data such as shipment identifiers and screening events, resulting in an audit-ready evidence package.
Potential adverse actions
“This patent represents an important step forward in how regulated security operations are managed in critical environments,” said Glen Kucera, President of Allied Universal Enhanced Protection Services. “By integrating processes required in this important regulated industry into one platform, we’ve created a powerful tool that has successfully supported clients through more than 500 TSA audits. This achievement underscores the platform’s effectiveness in maintaining full regulatory compliance and protecting clients from potential adverse actions.”
Allied Universal’s compliance team worked closely with industry stakeholders to ensure K9-Comply remains aligned with evolving canine air cargo screening (and other TSA) regulations. The solution was launched in 2020 and currently supports clients daily across more than 160 locations nationwide. The technology is managed entirely by Allied Universal canine handlers and operations personnel and focuses on reducing administrative burdens for air cargo clients. Clients have reported improvements to operational efficiency, and the seamless cargo transfer processes supported through K9 Comply enhances all regulatory TSA Compliance efforts.
Major industry advancement
“Innovation is key to our growth and this patent reflects our dedication to advancements in the air cargo screening industry,” said Steve Jones, Allied Universal global chairman and CEO. “As technology continues to reshape the security landscape, we remain committed to developing solutions that enable our clients to operate with confidence in an increasingly complex world with solutions that help meet the highest canine air cargo security standards.”
K9-Comply represents a major industry advancement in regulated canine air cargo screening operations, offering a cloud-based, fully integrated system that centralises and distributes all documentation required under the Certified Cargo Screening Program-K9 (CCSP-K9) process. The platform facilitates all required cargo screening tracking, document creation, and document transfer processes to ensure full TSA compliance for AUS and our clients.
Explosives detection technology
K9-Comply expands the company’s patent portfolio in explosives detection technology. Its first platform using patented explosive detection technology, SmartTech®, was launched in the early 2000s and connects on-site screening with real-time support.
Upon identifying a suspicious X-ray image, an on-site screener sends the image to our Emergency Operations Centre via the SmartTech solution, where specialized bomb technicians analyze the image, issuing an alert or non-detect. In 2018 the company was awarded a patent for Alarm Resolution capabilities, combining SmartTech with explosive detection canine screening. A trained canine detection team conducts an initial sweep and if a potential threat is detected, X-ray screening and SmartTech are deployed to confirm and evaluate the presence of a true explosive threat.
