DHS' Office of Inspector General Issues Report on ATS Targeting of Oceangoing Cargo Containers
The Department of Homeland Security has posted to its Web site an unclassified summary (i.e., an abbreviated version) of a report by the DHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) assessing the Automated Targeting System1 used by U.S. Customs and Border Protection inspectors at ports to help select intermodal cargo containers for inspection.
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(This audit was performed in response to section 809(g) of the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2004, which requires an annual evaluation and report on the effectiveness of the cargo inspection targeting system for international intermodal cargo containers. The objective of the audit was to evaluate CBP's use of the ATS to identify high-risk shipments.)
CBP Concurs with OIG and Took Early Actions on High-Risk Containers
The OIG states that CBP has concurred and has taken action to implement the recommendations in its report. According to the OIG, subsequent to its fieldwork, CBP took actions to improve procedures for ensuring that high-risk containers are examined.
OIG Findings on High-Risk Containers, Exam Findings, and High Bolt Seals
In its executive summary of the abbreviated version of its report, the OIG concluded that:
CBP is not consistently monitoring entry data for all shipments, resulting in some high-risk containers being allowed to leave ports without mandatory examinations;
flaws in the Cargo Enforcement Reporting and Tracking System may result in improper container releases, and CBP still has not automated its integration of examination findings into ATS; and
some ports need to improve their controls over high-security bolt seals.
OIG Recommendations
The OIG recommends that CBP:
develop a mechanism that will ensure that shipments designated as high-risk are not released from CBP custody without mandatory examination;
strengthen procedures at the ports to prevent containers from leaving ports without undergoing required inspections;
develop systematic procedures to extract oceangoing container examination results information and begin using it to refine existing targeting rules and developing new rules; and
require field offices and their respective ports of entry to implement all the requirements of current policies, which deal with the accountability and control over high security bolt seals.
1The ATS is a complex model of weighted rules that assist CBP officers in determining which shipments to place on hold for examination. CBP officers use the ATS to review electronic data submitted by ocean carriers, importers, and brokers on all arriving shipments by assigning a risk score. These scores help CBP officers make decisions to release or further evaluate the specific cargo.
(See ITT's Online Archives or 08/24/07 news, 07082405, for BP summary of Los Angeles and Cleveland CBP reminders on CBP's "zero tolerance" policy regarding "gate outs." A gate out is a container/cargo that has been targeted by CBP terrorism or enforcement inspection that is released without authorization from CBP.
See ITT's Online Archives or 12/06/06 news, 06120605, for BP summary of CBP's guidelines for the mitigation of penalties for merchandise delivered from a port without CBP authorization or examination, or both, if CBP considers that such removal or delivery places public safety at risk.
See ITT's Online Archives or 08/10/05 news, 05081005, for BP summary of the OIG's 2005 audit (OIG-05-26) report.)
Unclassified summary of OIG's report "Targeting Oceangoing Cargo Containers 2007" (OIG-07-72, dated August 2007) available at http://www.dhs.gov/xoig/assets/mgmtrpts/OIG_07-72_Aug07.pdf.