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| Unified to secure America’s borders
By Leslie Woolf, Writer-editor, Office of Public Affairs |
In the early morning hours of April 19, 1775, a Massachusetts minuteman named Paul Revere galloped the back roads from Concord to Lexington to warn his fellow patriots that British troops were on to them: the Redcoats meant to seize hidden caches of arms and arrest two of their leaders. Thanks to Revere’s warning that “the British are coming, the British are coming,” a band of minutemen—volunteers in the local militia so named because they could be ready for battle in a minute’s notice—were waiting for the Redcoats on the village green in Lexington. Historians are still not certain which side fired “the shot heard round the world,” but that single gunshot started the American Revolution. The rest is history. |
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| Commissioner's Message | U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s priority mission—keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons from entering the United States—places CBP squarely at the center of our nation’s war on terrorism. As our nation’s frontline border agency with unprecedented legal authorities, CBP is strategically positioned to prevent another terrorist attack on our nation. And, it is a tribute to the job you do each and every day that there have been no terrorist attacks on U.S. soil since 9/11.
It is precisely because of the authority you possess as CBP Officers, CBP Agriculture Specialists and CBP Border Patrol Agents that require you to exhibit—at all times and under all circumstances—the utmost professionalism and courtesy in carrying out your extraordinarily important job. In recent months, however, incidents involving rude behavior an unprofessional conduct on the part of a few CBP Officers have been brought to my attention.
My expectations for all CBP employees, but especially for the CBP Officers and CBP Agriculture specialists at our ports of entry, who have contact with the public on a daily basis, are clear and unequivocal—every person arriving in our country, without exception, is to be treated in a professional, courteous, and dignified manner. Even between the ports of entry, persons illegally entering our country who are apprehended by CBP Border Patrol Agents are to be treated humanely and with dignity. To reinforce this code of professional conduct and instill the highest level of professionalism in our workforce, this month I have announced a number of measures that are now being implemented:- CBP Officers, CBP Agriculture Specialists, and CBP Border Patrol Agents are receiving training, including weekly musters, that will provide the tools and techniques for professionally handling even the most difficult and demanding situations.
- We have announced a “pledge to travelers,” making it clear to passengers that they will be treated with courtesy at our ports of entry.
- I have delegated discretion to the port level with regard to individuals who do not pose a potential terrorist or criminal threat, or who are not a serious risk of adding to our illegal population.
- And, at the national level, we are revamping our complaint/compliment process to ensure that each complaint is thoroughly reviewed and the appropriate action taken.
As the face of America to hundreds of millions of people who enter the United States annually, it is our goal that the CBP uniform and badge be recognized not only as welcoming symbols of our nation, but as symbols of excellence and unparalleled law enforcement professionalism. Courtesy and respect to be the hallmarks of CBP professional behavior.
You are building a new agency―CBP―and you are building the traditions that will come to be associated with this agency for years to come. That tradition is one of the utmost professionalism in all we do. We can both protect America and be the best and most professional law enforcement agency in the world. We can do both.
I am enormously proud of the job you do every day. I deeply appreciate your service to our country, and firmly believe that, because of you, our borders are safer and America is more secure.
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Winner of the IABC Silver Inkwell 2000 Award of Excellence
and APEX 2000 Grand Award
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