I don't even know what to say

[FSCF3801]

Firetruck snafu shows border is not secure

Blue Water Bridge incident proves customs needs to make changes

The report of a stolen firetruck getting over the Blue Water Bridge from Canada provided a lot of laughs last week. News organizations and Web sites across the United States and Canada picked up the bizarre story.

But the matter is serious and shows a big problem that must be addressed concerning border security at the bridge.

The incident was reported to the St. Clair County Sheriff Department at 7:23 a.m. June 19. The firetruck wasn't found until nearly two hours later, at 9:04 a.m. in Riley Township, more than 20 miles from the bridge.

The driver, Martin Chalker, a 35-year-old Englishman, is charged with aiding and abetting receiving and concealing stolen property. He waived his right Tuesday to a preliminary exam in St. Clair County District Court. A circuit court arraignment date has not been set. He also could face charges in Canada.

Chalker isn't the only one who has questions to answer. A full investigation by the federal Department of Homeland Security of the incident involving U.S. Customs and Border Protection is warranted.

Police gave this account:

Chalker left a bar near the Canadian customs area of the bridge in Point Edward, where the London Fire Department firetruck was impounded. He broke into the truck, drove it out of the compound, paid the toll and headed across the bridge.

U.S. customs officers in Port Huron stopped Chalker and told him to go into the secondary-inspection area, but he ignored them and drove onto westbound Interstate 94. Sheriff department deputies found Chalker and the truck in a ditch near Burt and Riley Center roads.

Security at the Blue Water Bridge obviously is not tight enough. Something as obtrusive as a stolen foreign firetruck breaking through customs, disappearing for nearly two hours and getting to the middle of the county is appalling.

U.S. customs must make changes to its procedures so the border at the bridge cannot be breached. Next time, something far more dangerous than firefighting equipment and someone far more threatening than a man accused of stealing could be on a truck.


Originally published June 30, 2005
source

Well the only thing I can say is that we have a NO PURSUIT policy, I know they called the locals, state and Boder Patrol to catch him..... This is exactly why I am so pissed that we DO NOT have a pursuit policy :mad:

[Big Sexy]

Yeah, I remember being called out on quite a few port runners. Sometimes they were a bit slow getting the info out. Not their faults, I heard they had to call El Paso first, before they could notify us. I always thiugh that was a wate of time, plus let the people get the much further away or blended into the populace.

[Hebem173]

If the firetruck wasn't in NCIC or a BOLO from Canada, then I don't think you can blame the port. On the other hand, I was TDY at Port Huron for a month in 2001 and back then and there was a lack of enforcement. Their main priority was getting the vehicles through.