Pros and Cons of CBP

[chewy]

Chewy, I am new to this site and noticed you referenced Detroit in your reply. I plan on taking the CBP exam on 1/30/07. I no I am getting ahead of myself, since I have not even passed the test, but what type of feedback can you give me about CBP and Detroit. Do you work at the Tunnel, Bridge, or Airport.? Roughly how many officers are employed at your location. How many hours do you work a week? If I receve an offer, I am hoping for a lot of overtime inially to compensate for the decrease in pay from my current job to CBP. IS there a lot of overtime available? Whats the busiest shifts/days? Whats the most difficult thing to deal with working at CBP Detroit?

Thank you in advance for your feedback.

Ohhh where to begin...

Detroit can be a horrible place to work. Because we are sooo busy, nonstop traffic, trucks, cars etc and the fact that the border crossings are privately owned crossings there is a lot of political pressure to move traffic and NOT do our jobs. Then on top of that we have some of the stupidist people in the world as managers, and I'm not even going to start getting into the Officers. Other than that it's not a bad place... except that Detroit is one of the crappiest cities that I've EVER been to. If you can tolerate those couple things it's a cake job.

I currently work in our Rail office doing trains. I have worked in the past at the Tunnel and Bridge passenger ops, at the Bridge commercial truck dock, the cargo examination office, the Contraband Enforcement Team (CET), at Metro Airport doing passengers, cargo, service desk as well as private aircraft including Pontiac and Willow Run airports. I recently worked on the Rail VACIS and am currently in the process of transitioning to the Firearms division. Basically I have worked just about every position in the port. Now the airport is actually a seperate port so we don't go out there anymore but my wife currently works at Metro.

We have about 300 armed persons at the border, I'm the only one in my office on my shift but at the truck dock on afternoons we have anywhere from 20 to 35 people working. The Bridge and Tunnel both have around 15 on average I think. The airport has something like 125 people.

I work about 40hrs a week. I try not to work any overtime as those valuable hours spent at work are hours of misery that I will NEVER get back! We still have a lot of overtime available. Not as much as we had prior to 9-11 when we only had 100 people at the border but we still have people that will max out with the $30,000 in overtime earnings. On average, you can usually get OT most anytime. The busiest shift is probably day shift for volume. The best shift for overtime purposes is afternoons I think. You can come in early or stay after and there is almost always overtime available. I would say this, if you do get the job keep your expenses to a minimum for a while. We have a lot of people that come here and start buying new cars, houses and the like and end up HAVING to get overtime to make ends meet. You want to keep all of that to a minimum for at least 6months to a year after getting hired on so that you don't have to depend on the overtime. Yes we have overtime but it isn't always available when you WANT to work it so it's best to not NEED it to live until you are here a little while and learn the ins and outs of how it works... If you aren't hard core set on staying in Detroit I would suggest getting hired on then moving around a little. Go to the Southern Border and experiance what the REAL CBP is all about... However, if you are stuck in the Detroit area it is a good job once you get off probation and hit your GS-11, good money, EASY money and you'll rarely find a job where your bosses actively encourage you to NOT do anything!

Good luck and God help us all.

[CBPMarine]

It is a battle that will continue to be argued to make the CBP OFO Inspectors 6c.

Many Legacy USCS Special Agents owe their GS-12 &13 promotions to cases that were initiated, developed and presented to them by OFO Inspectors. Obviously the environment and experience is there.

If you retire from the military at 38, a job as a CBP Inspector is the best job going.
Implement 6c standards and those that retire from the military would no longer be eligible for that position.

Considering what was done to all the agencies to create DHS, converting OFO Inspectors to 6c would be simple.

[chewy]

It is a battle that will continue to be argued to make the CBP OFO Inspectors 6c.

Many Legacy USCS Special Agents owe their GS-12 &13 promotions to cases that were initiated, developed and presented to them by OFO Inspectors. Obviously the environment and experience is there.[/QUOTE]

Ya, it's been a battle that has been going on long before I came to Customs... As far as the agents and their cases I can only say AMEN!

Considering what was done to all the agencies to create DHS, converting OFO Inspectors to 6c would be simple.

Maybe simple but I will never see it happen in my career... and I have 15 years left! It's too bad really, we loose a ton of good people to other jobs and the three main reasons are that they don't like the way we are treated, don't like being told not to do anything (at least in this port, may not apply to other ports), and that we don't have a 20yr retirement system.

[CBPMarine]

Amen Brother!

CBP Inspectors are without a doubt, The first LE Agent/Officer that is exposed to any person or "cargo" crossing the border into the United States.
Not illegal immigrants running across the border (Olly -Olly in Free) but organizations that try to penetrate the US border through fictitious means – False Identifications, False manifests etc….

To ignore the CBP quest for 6c status is a true travesty to the US interdiction network.

I think OFO will prevail one day. Hopefully within your career span.

[lost customs]

Can anyone out there tell me where I can find information on whether or not Coast Guard active time is considered LE? I am with CBP and now hit the magic age of Forty! Yaah! Yaah! I know. I am getting older lol. Everywhere I look the USCG is spoken of as LE. CBP ... lets say it is at the bottom of the barrel presently. Those of us that are in the Federal sector are happy to have jobs. Things with Customs in the Northwest are pretty bad ! I am interested in waiver information on the 6c side of the house. I have applied for the DON 1811 Navy positions and would like more information on those also. Thanks for the help.

Lost Customs

[chewy]

lost customs,

The USCG, while they do DO LE duties are not LE officers, just boarding officers. This, obviously, excludes the USCG 1811 criminal investigators. Being a CBPO makes you an LEO just without status, going to the CG would be leaving that even. Even the LE guys in the CG, like the boarding officers, don't get creds or take home guns etc. It's more like an MP where you come on duty, sign out a gun for the duty period and go bust smugglers and drunks and everything else then you sign your gun back in before you go home at the end of your shift or duty period. Being a Legacy Customs Inspector myself in Detroit I can attest to the fact that our agency has gone even more to crap than it was... and it wasn't that great BEFORE the merger so that's saying something. I would say that you would have more fun doing CG work but it's more military oriented and less "Police" oriented.

I would have to disagree about being at the bottom, we may be the residual but there are still a couple jobs even below us...

Good luck on the 6c jobs. I turn 37 in July and not having held a 6c job (Coast Guard and Customs Inspector LE only) I'm not eligable for any covered positions after July and that's going to basically seal my coffin as they say in reguards to covered jobs... My only hope now is to get to a small port, out of the way, and enjoy the quiet that ISNT Detroit!!! :D

Good luck.

[RT302]

Chewy, I got this in an email at work and immediately thought of you;)

Lawmakers renew push to grant employees law officer benefits
By Brittany R. Ballenstedt

House members recently introduced a bill renewing an effort to grant additional federal officers law enforcement status and the more generous retirement benefits that go along with it.

The legislation (H.R. 1073) would provide Customs and Border Protection officers, police at the Veterans Affairs Department and other employees the ability to retire at age 50 with 20 years of service.

Under current law, only employees classified as law enforcement officers have that benefit. Officers without such status get the same retirement benefits as regular federal employees, who are not eligible for retirement until they have 30 years or more of service and are at least are 55 years old.

Full story: http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cf...206&dcn=e_gvet

[chewy]

Chewy, I got this in an email at work and immediately thought of you;)

Lawmakers renew push to grant employees law officer benefits
By Brittany R. Ballenstedt

House members recently introduced a bill renewing an effort to grant additional federal officers law enforcement status and the more generous retirement benefits that go along with it.

The legislation (H.R. 1073) would provide Customs and Border Protection officers, police at the Veterans Affairs Department and other employees the ability to retire at age 50 with 20 years of service.

Under current law, only employees classified as law enforcement officers have that benefit. Officers without such status get the same retirement benefits as regular federal employees, who are not eligible for retirement until they have 30 years or more of service and are at least are 55 years old.

Full story: http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cf...206&dcn=e_gvet

Thanks :p

They keep trying and trying and trying..... But no joy! Someday hopefully. Maybe if they do finally pass it we can start retaining our people. We have 400 armed officers and last year had 114 quit, transfer or leave in some reguard. Out of those I think less than 8 actually retired.

[K-9MALY]

We have the same problem here in Buffalo, large port of 400+ officers, but always in a constant attrition.

Every month we have lots of newbies coming in for the academy, and every month we see the firearms guys walking with arms loaded with gun belts of people who quit, transfer, or funny/sad enough, just dumped thier gear and took off.

[cactuscop]

What are you saying DULL???? We do WAY more exciting stuff than you MEO's!!!


BAawwwhahahahaha... no matter how I say it I just can't get it out without laughing my butt off!:D
I just applied for the new openings... I'm hoping with nine years Customs/CBP and 6 years Coast Guard plus my EMT and hazmat etc that I can get lucky and get picked up.... I hit 37 in July so it'll be a close race!

Sorry, Chewy; no kilt-wearing, haggis-eating, border thugs allowed!!:D

[exfed2002]

That's another nice thing, if you get a promotion, maintain that promotion for the required time then leave and go back to a GS-11 you can't get a pay cut so you will still get the highest paygrade that you were at pay wise but you'll still be an 11 working in the field... If you do that early in your career you can bank some serious money!

Keep dreaming.

[chewy]

Oh, it's not a dream... our guys do it all the time. I work with a few Officers that, back when they were Inspectors, went to a position in Washington DC that was a 12/13 position. They were there three or four years and came back to the field as an 11 modified pay to equal the 13 step 1 or 2 that they were when they left DC to go back to the field. It's even easier now that we have NTC and some of the other targeting jobs that weren't around before 9-11.

[exfed2002]

Oh, it's not a dream...

Like I said, keep dreaming.

If there were such an animal, we ALL would have done it.

[chewy]

Like I said, keep dreaming.

If there were such an animal, we ALL would have done it.

:confused: Ok... like I said, there IS such a thing, I've been with CBP/Customs for 10 years and have seen several people do it...

[exfed2002]

:confused: Ok... like I said, there IS such a thing, I've been with CBP/Customs for 10 years and have seen several people do it...

OH, a ten year VETERAN.

Well try 30 years, including management, which involved budget, hiring, and payroll.

If you are going to pass out such GROSS MISINFORMATION to the unsuspecting masses, perhaps you ought to try it yourself. Why not put in for a GS-4 and see what happens?

It may stop you from looking like an a55.