U.S. Customs and Border Protection

 

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is an agency organized under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The CBP is responsible for safeguarding the border and inspecting individuals and cargo moving in and out of the country. Several different career positions exist within the agency. Border

Patrol Agents are tasked with monitoring large border areas for illegal activity. Air and Marine Interdiction Agents stop illegal activity using aircraft and boats. Customs and Border Patrol Officers are perhaps the most visible personnel within CBP. These officers work at major air and seaports to screen passengers and luggage.

 

CBP is responsible for:

ü apprehending individuals attempting to enter the United States illegally;

ü stemming the flow of illegal drugs and other contraband;

ü protecting agricultural and economic interests from harmful pests and diseases;

ü protecting American businesses from theft of their intellectual property;

üregulating and facilitating international trade by collecting import duties, and enforcing U.S. trade laws.

 

Nearly 2,500 employees in CBP revenue positions collect over $30 billion annually in entry duties and taxes through the enforcement of trade and tariff laws. These collections provide the second largest revenue for the U.S. Government. In addition, they fulfill the agency's

 

trade mission by appraising and classifying imported merchandise. These employees serve in positions such as Import Specialist, auditor, international trade specialist and analyst.

 

Unprecedented growth in world trade, new trade agreements, and increased trade complexity make the trade compliance process activities of U.S. Customs and Border Protection more important than ever. We interact with both importers and exporters and are responsible for decisions regarding a staggering variety of merchandise, manufactured goods, and commodities.

Being an Import Specialist, you will be responsible for classifying and appraising a portion of the billions of dollars' worth of commercially imported merchandise that enters the U.S. every year. You will determine which products may legally enter the country by enforcing laws protecting public health and safety, intellectual property rights, fair trade practices and the like. You may also play a key role in criminal enforcement team investigations of smuggling, commercial fraud, and counterfeiting.

A favorably completed background investigation is required for your placement in a position with Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

 

A background investigation is conducted to ensure that the candidate is suitable for employment, i.e. reliable, trustworthy, of good conduct and character, and loyal to the United States.

 

Candidates for law enforcement officer positions at Customs and Border Protection are required to undergo a polygraph exam as part of the background investigation. The results of the polygraph will be used to determine the candidate's suitability for placement in the law enforcement officer position.

 

Along with having a degree in criminal justice, a candidate aiming to work with U.S. Department of Home Security at a post of Customs officer should also be physically fit and free of any court cases pending in his name. The foremost requirement is that he should be a citizen of the country.

 

Seven weeks of specialized training will enable you to develop an expert knowledge of import and export trends, commodities, and industries, as well as complex international trade agreements. This position will call on your intellect, discipline, organizational abilities, and analytical skills.

 

In addition to great Federal benefits, you will have the satisfaction of being an expert in a top international trade career.

 

EXERCISES

 

I. Read the list of professional/personal qualities of a Customs officer and put them into two columns.

 

confident, ambitious, accountable, stubborn, reliable, self-disciplined, safety-conscious, disorganized, careful, tactful, honest and fair, adaptable, practical, lazy, arrogant, independent, rude, active, businesslike, knowledgeable, emotional, sensible, clever, malicious, biased, reasonable, kind, aggressive, superficial, witty, intuitive, generous, cunning.

 

Positive qualities

Negative qualities

 

 

II. Fill in the following table.
Duties and responsibilities of a	Traits, skills, and personal
Customs officer	characteristics required

 

III. Make a profile of a Customs officer working for the Belarusian Customs Service.

 

FOLLOW-UP ACTIVITIES

 

I. Answer these questions from the perspective of a graduate student interested in a career in Customs.

 

1. What does it mean to be a competent Customs officer?

2. What is meant by «professional qualifications» for a job?

3. What working position is the best for you?

 

4. Do you want to be an executive?

5. What qualities do you need to be an executive?

 

6. What do you like more: giving orders or receiving orders?

7. Are you accustomed to red-tape jobs?

8. In what field do you need training most of all?

 

1. valuation 7. surveillance techniques

 

3. procedures 8. investigation techniques

 

4. enforcement 9. automated data processing

 

5. legislation 10. commercial fraud

 

6. origin 11. traffic

 

air traffic

 

rail traffic

 

road traffic

 

traffic via waterways

 

container traffic

 

9. What career opportunities are there for someone who has studied Customs matters?

10. Do all Customs officers do the same kind of work?

 

11. Why are career prospects in Customs Service said to be very good?

 

II. Agree or disagree with the following statements. Give your reasons. Discuss your answers with your partner. Supply some additional information.

 

1. The State Customs Committee should certify the inspectors annually.

2. All Customs officers should know risk-based control procedures.

3. Survival is not so much a matter of discipline and awareness as of tactics and technique.

 

4. In class, role-plays must be designed around realistic and practical situations that officers may encounter during their routine duties.

5. Offering Customs officers a high quality, up-to-date instruction often means going a step further in their professional competence.

6. Customs officers shouldn't be taught report writing.

 

7. Teaching is always a two-way process.

8. «Chalk and Talk»¹ session is the only method for a highly skilled, dedicated Customs officer who wants to be trained to a peak of professionalism.

 

9. «Education is an investment that repays itself with a profit» (A. Smith).

10. Education produces substantial value for the money.

11. «Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their integrity» (G. Patton²).

 

12. Customs officers in our country are learning not only state-of-the-art drug detection techniques and military-style combat-training but also public relations, folk dancing, icon-painting, graphology and the complex task of creating a human face for Customs.

 

13. Now any passenger who considers himself unfairly treated by Customs can use a telephone hotline in Minsk and complain to the Committee's officials. They promise no delays in dealing with complaints.

14. All Customs officers at Minsk-2 are capable of telling a souvenir from a work of art.

 

DO IT FOR FUN

 

I. TIME MANAGEMENT SKILLS TEST

 

One of the greatest factors contributing to stress is our inability to manage time. Conversely, good time management skills allow us to organize our lives and be more productive, both at work and at home. The following quiz will help identify trouble spots and guide us toward the goal of becoming successful time managers. A scoring key at the end will indicate how far you need to go. Assign a numerical number to the following questions with l=always; 2=usually; 3=sometimes; 4=never.

 

 

¹ The formal, traditional teaching method that relies on oral instruction and use of the blackboard.

² George Patton (1885–1945) – US Army officer who was an outstanding practitioner of mobile tank warfare in the European and Mediterranean theatre during World War II.

 

___ I find that I have enough time for myself to do the things I enjoy doing.

 

___ I'm aware of deadlines and schedule my work to meet them in time.

___ I write down specific objectives in order to work toward goals.

___ I use a calendar to write down appointments, deadlines, and things to do.

___ I feel in control of time while at work and at home.

___ I plan and schedule my time on a weekly and/or monthly basis.

___ I make a daily to-do list and refer to it several times per day.

___ I set priorities in order of importance and then schedule time around them.

___ I'm able to find time when I need it in case something important comes up.

 

___ I'm able to say no when I'm pressed for time.

___ I try to delegate responsibility to others in order to make more time for myself.

___ I organize my desk and work area to prevent clutter and confusion.

___ I find it easy to eliminate or reschedule low priority items.

___ I try to do things in a way that cuts down on duplicated effort.

___ I find that doing everything myself is very inefficient.

___ I try to shift priorities as soon as they change.

___ I find it easy to identify sources of time problems.

___ I find it easy to eliminate or reshuffle unnecessary paperwork.

___ My meetings and activities are well organized and efficient.

___ I know what I'm capable of and try not to overextend myself.

___ I find it easy to keep up with changes that affect my schedule or workload.

___ I try to schedule the most difficult work during my most productive times.

 

I know what my responsibilities and duties are at all times.

I try to get only the pertinent information before making a final decision.

I finish one job or task before going on to the next.

 

Scoring key: 25–40 = Excellent time manager 41–55 = Good time manager 56–100 = Poor time manager

 

If you scored above 55, you have lots of work to do in order to become an effective time manager and avoid the stress that leads to productivity problems, stress, burnout, and disease.

 

The most common areas to look for are:

 

· Not prioritizing tasks

· Not scheduling daily, weekly, or monthly activities

· Not delegating responsibility

· Not being able to say no

· Not writing down objectives in order to meet deadlines

· Not using a calendar or notebook to organize commitments

· Not shifting priorities to make room for more urgent matters or tasks

 

· Not reducing clutter and/or unnecessary paperwork

· Not being able to give up total control

· Not being able to avoid procrastination

 

II. Being a manager is a challenging position that requires several skills and aptitudes.

 

	WHAT KIND OF MANAGER ARE YOU – Test Yourself
1.	Customs officers should leave their personal problems at home.
	Yes	No
2.	Life and work are two separate worlds.
	Yes	No

3. Customs officers come to work to earn a living. Values are for family and religion, not the workplace.

 

Yes No

4. Most Customs need autocrats to keep people on their toes.

Yes No

5. Customs isn't the place for a kinder, more caring work environment.

 

Yes No

6. Money is the main motivator. It doesn't matter how Customs officers are treated.

Yes No

7. Traders don't care how we treat them. They just value what we can do for them.

Yes No

 

8. Customs officers shouldn't bother themselves with beliefs, values and ethics.

 

Yes No

9. The best way to ensure quality is by documentation and statistical controls.

Yes No

10. If you show that you can explode with anger, staff will respect you more.

 

Yes No 11. Ruthlessness is still the best way to the top.

Yes No

12. If you get involved with staff problems, the bottom line will suffer.

 

Yes No

13. The business of Customs is meeting business objectives. Everything else is a distraction.

Yes No

14. Empowerment? That's a laugh. It's everyone for him/herself these days.

 

Yes No

 

 

YOUR SCORE

 

 

14 Yes answers: You're back in the 19th century!

 

6–13 Yes answers: Ever thought of taking a Management course?

 

1–5 Yes answers: You're on the way to a caring leader.

 

0 Yes answers: Congratulations! You're a leader!

 

 

III. Job functions describe your roles, duties and responsibilities in your workplace. Translate the following «Action Verb List» into Russian. Tick the verbs that best describe your future job functions.

 

 

	ACTION VERB LIST
abstract	evaluate	prescribe
adjust	execute	present
administer	expand	program
advise	explain	propose
analyze	found	prove
apply	generate	provide
approve	grade	read
assemble	identify	reason
assist	illustrate	recognize
authorize	implement	recommend
change	index	reduce
check	improve	reinforce
clean	increase	reorganize
collaborate	influence	remove
complete	initiate	repair
compute	inspect	replace
conduct	instruct	research
construct	interpret	request
control	introduce	review
convert	isolate	revise
coordinate	issue	safeguard
correct	investigate	schedule
create	launch	score
delegate	lead	select
demonstrate	lecture	set up
determine	locate	solve
design	maintain	streamline
destroy	manage	supervise
develop	manipulate	support
diagnose	motivate	survey
direct	obtain	tabulate
draw	operate	teach
eliminate	organize	test
enforce	panel	transform
engrave	participate	troubleshoot
establish	perform	use
estimate	plan	verify

 

IV. Exercise your brains by solving these puzzles.

 

1.

 

 

2.

 

 

3.

 

4.

 

5.

 

6.

 

 

7.

 

 

8.

 

UNIT 10. CODE OF CONDUCT

 

 

Study the following words and word combinations from the text. public service (syn. (civil

 

service, state service) государственная служба

 

integrity целостность, честность, прямота,

принципиальность

 

to be issued with быть обеспеченым чем-либо

 

disciplinary measures д сц пл нарные меры

 

a dismissal увольнен е

 

to adhere to пидеживаться

 

a framework for appropriate

conduct снова для надлежащего поведения

 

prosecution судебное преследование

to commit offences¹ совершать преступления

 

accountability подотчетность, ответственность

 

impartial беспристрастный

 

to be above reproach быть безупречным