Study points gaps in port security
WASHINGTON (AP) - May 27, 2008 The report by the Government Accountability Office, being
released Tuesday, assesses the Customs-Trade Partnership Against
Terrorism (C-TPAT), a federal program established after the Sept.
11, 2001, attacks to deter a potential terrorist strike via cargo
passing through 326 of the nation's airports, seaports and
designated land borders.
Under the program, roughly 8,000 importers, port authorities and
air, sea and land carriers are granted benefits such as reduced
scrutiny of their cargo. In exchange, the companies submit a
security plan that must meet U.S. Customs and Border Protection's
minimum standards and allow officials to verify that their measures
are being followed.
A 2005 GAO report found many of the companies were receiving the
reduced cargo scrutiny without the required full vetting by U.S.
Customs, a division of DHS. The agency has since made some
improvements, but the new report found Customs officials still
couldn't provide guarantees that companies were in compliance.
"The bottom line is DHS has basically passed the buck on port
security by allowing shipping companies to police themselves with
almost no oversight," said Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y. "By not
lifting a finger to ensure these companies are doing what they say
they are doing, DHS is yet again shirking its primary
responsibility. So many years later, it is shocking that DHS still
cannot get its act together."
Among the problems:
-A company is generally certified as safe based on its
self-reported security information that Customs employees use to
determine if minimum government criteria are met. But due partly to
limited resources, the agency does not typically test the member
company's supply chain security practices and thus is "challenged
to know that members' security measures are reliable, accurate and
effective."
-Customs employees are not required to utilize third-party or
other audits of a company's security measures as an alternative to
the agency's direct testing, even if such audits exist.
-Companies can get certified for reduced Customs inspections
before they fully implement any additional security improvements
requested by the U.S. government. Under the program, Customs also
does not require its employees to systematically follow up to make
sure the requested improvements were made and that security
practices remain consistent with the minimum criteria.
"Until Customs overcomes these collective challenges, Customs
will be unable to assure Congress and others that C-TPAT member
companies that have been granted reduced scrutiny of their
U.S.-bound containerized shipments actually employ adequate
security practices," investigators wrote. "It is vital that
Customs maintain adequate internal controls to ensure that member
companies deserve these benefits."
The GAO urged Customs and Border Protection to require
consideration of third-party and other outside audits and take
steps to make certain companies comply with any additional security
improvements requested. The report also calls for some
technological improvements to help improve consistency and better
information-gathering in Customs' security checks.
Responding in part, Customs officials in the report agreed they
could do more to follow up on suggested security improvements but
noted that employees often use their expert discretion in assessing
the potential danger before certifying a company. The agency has
also said the program overall has made the nation safer.
Congress has been working to improve port security after the
independent Sept. 11 commission cited the potential dangers in its
2004 final report. The commission said that compared with
commercial aviation, "opportunities to do harm are as great, or
greater, in maritime or surface transportation." DHS has said that
while the likelihood of terrorists smuggling weapons of mass
destruction into the U.S. in cargo containers is low, the nation's
vulnerability and the consequences of such an attack are
potentially high.
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, the top Republican on the Senate
Homeland Security Committee, said the report shows the importance
of the private sector's continued cooperation in helping improve
port security. "I will continue to work with DHS and the private
sector to ensure the effectiveness of the crucial port security
program," she said.
The GAO study examined a sample of 25 company reviews by Customs
and Border Protection from March 1, 2006 through Sept. 30, 2006.
Investigators interviewed officials, reviewed documents and studied
the agency's minimum security criteria to see if standards were
being met.
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On the Net:
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