Have USCBP officers always been armed?

[cjcrew022000]

Have US Customs officers always been armed at the port of entry or was this implemented later on?

[SSA1811]

cjcrew022000,

Please understand you are going to have to be more specific, especially when you use the term "always".

USCBP has only been around since 2003 - prior to that there was the US Customs Service ("USCS") and the Immigration and Naturalization Service ("INS").

You use the term "US Customs officers" so I am going to guess you meant USCS, and since you used the term "point of entry", I'm going to guess you are referring to either "Customs Inspectors", and/or "Customs Patrol Officers". Since the Customs Patrol Officer position was phased out many years ago, I'm going to assume you mean Customs Inspector.

Customs Inspectors have always had the "statutory authority" to carry firearms, but pre-9/11, Port Directors have always frowned on and discouraged Inspectors from carrying firearms.

Perhaps, some current USCBP officers can give you some insight since the 2003 merger.


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[chewy]

I'm not sure where you got your info SSA1811 but the question was have we always been armed at the Port of Entry... Customs and INS Inspectors were armed at the Ports of entry LONG before 9-11. Back in the 70's it was optional to carry but it's been a good 20 years since they made it mandatory for Customs Officers to carry on duty. So, to answer your question cjcrew... No, legacy Customs and INS Inspectors were not "always" armed at the POE's but have been for twenty or more years now on a regular required full time basis. Some of the airports didn't always allow everyone to carry but the landborders it's been mandatory for a long time.


The statement "Customs Inspectors have always had the "statutory authority" to carry firearms, but pre-9/11, Port Directors have always frowned on and discouraged Inspectors from carrying firearms." couldn't be more wrong. Some of our older upper managers may not have liked that we are armed or doing LE work but no Port Director has had the option to discourage Inspectors from carrying firearms at work. Off duty, yes, they never liked or allowed it until about 1999 or 2000 just before 9-11 when we came out with a regular full time off duty carry policy. But as far as on duty Port Directors don't have the option or power to discourage or limit carry of weapons because it is mandated that we have to carry them. I'd have to look up the date range but I believe that it was the mid 80's area when they stoped the policy of allowing weapons as an option at work and made it mandatory. I know that when my wife started they were required to carry full time if they wanted the job and that was 17 years ago.

[SSA1811]

Hi chewy,

I will always defer to someone currently in the position, and I stand corrected.

I got my information from a close personal friend who was a Customs Inspector in the Port of Houston for almost 20 years. He retired in 2001 just prior to 9/11. He used to tell me stories about how agitated management would get when he carried because they frowned on that practice. Another Customs Inspector I met teaching at FLETC, who later transferred to legacy Custom's Air Wing, used to tell me the same or similar stories around the same timeframe (mid to late 90's).


Edit: I forgot to mention the Inspector who transferred to the Air Wing was stationed out of New Jersey and had about 12 years on at the time. I asked them both if they were ever interested in becoming Special Agents, and they both unanimously told me they couldn't take the pay cut because of something (I believe) called 1911 overtime pay.


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