The Visible Intermodal Prevention and Response operation, called VIPR, has officers pulling randomly selected vehicles out of line and checking them for anything unusual, said Tom Anderson, the bridge-tunnel’s deputy director.The goal of the event, a repeat of an operation held in the fall, is to increase safety, prevent terrorism and “act as a method of deterrence,” Anderson said.
The checkpoints are coordinated by the Transportation Security Administration and include the FBI, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Coast Guard, Naval Criminal Investigative Service, Norfolk and Virginia Beach police and Northampton County Sheriff’s Office, Anderson said. Police dogs also are being used to check vehicles.
The checkpoints began early this morning and will continue through the day, Anderson said.
