More 'virtual fencing' in the cards for Arizona and Michigan

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) - A second section of the government's heavily criticized "virtual fence" is planned along the Arizona-Mexico border. And an official of Boeing says a third section could be tested near Detroit by the end of the year.

The Department of Homeland Security paid Boeing 20 million dollars to develop a 28-mile-long prototype with nine movable towers southwest of Tucson. But it's to be torn down and replaced this summer because it failed to perform as expected. There were problems in the computer software that was supposed to tie together a series of sensors, radars and cameras into a common picture. And the problems were compounded by delays in satellite transmission of the data.

Boeing has been awarded about 860 million dollars in contracts under the so-called Secure Border Initiative, including for vehicle barriers and new software for the Border Patrol.