CBP Revised Its Training for Newly Hired CBP Officers Consistent with Its Training Standards

In 2009, CBP revised its training program for new officers in accordance  with its training development standards. Consistent with these standards, OTD  convened a team of subject matter experts (SMEs) to identify and rank  the tasks that new CBP officers are expected to perform. As a result, the new  curriculum is designed to produce a professional law enforcement officer  capable of protecting the homeland from terrorist, criminal, biological, and  agricultural threats. Specifically, the new curriculum states that the CBP  officer is expected, among other tasks, to draw appropriate conclusions  and take appropriate action to identify behavioral indicators displayed by  criminals and terrorists, effectively interview and analyze travelers to  identify potential threats, expertly identify altered and counterfeit  documents and impostors, and use technology in support of the  inspection process.officer is expected to be able to perform the primary inspection function,  as well as some aspects of the secondary inspection function. CBP Has Taken Steps to Identify and Address Incumbent Officer Training Needs but Could Do More to Improve Oversight

CBP has taken steps to identify the training needs of its incumbent  officers, by for example, conducting covert tests to assess vulnerabilities  and systemic weaknesses at ports of entry and identifying possible officer  training needs, but could do more to analyze the tests’ results. We examined CBP’s  results of covert tests conducted over more than 2 years and found  significant weaknesses in the CBP inspection process at the ports of  entry that were tested.all ports, OFO officials stated that the tests are useful to identify possible   Although the results are not fully generalizable to  weaknesses and vulnerabilities. However, we have previously  reported that agencies should assess the extent to which training and  development efforts contribute to improved performance and results to  help ensure that the agency is not devoting resources to training that may   An evaluation of the impact of these training courses on  be ineffective.CBP officer performance could help CBP know the extent to which such  training is a sufficient response to the covert test results or whether  adjustments to the training or other management actions are needed. CBP has not conducted an analysis of all the possible causes or systemic  issues that may be contributing to the test results. A policy outlining the roles  and responsibilities of offices and positions for training could help  eliminate such confusion and clarify which offices and positions are  responsible for identifying and addressing training needs and for holding  these offices and individuals accountable for their responsibilities. CBP currently lacks reliable training completion records to ensure CBP  officers received required training or other training relevant to their  assigned duties. We found, based on our analysis of TRAEN records, more than 4,000  onboard legacy customs officers have not completed the immigration  fundamentals, immigration law, and agricultural fundamentals courses  although they were required to complete them during the cross-training  program. According to OFO officials, the training completion records  maintained in TRAEN are incomplete, and it is unlikely that legacy officers  did not complete required cross-training. Nevertheless, without reliable  training records, CBP cannot provide reasonable assurance that all  legacy customs officers completed required cross-training courses. OTD  stated that CBP offices are responsible for recording their employees’  training records in TRAEN. However, CBP does not have a policy that  assigns the responsibility for entering records to its offices or that assigns  oversight responsibility to port management to ensure that their staff enter  data into TRAEN completely and accurately. Conclusions

CBP has designed its training program for newly-hired CBP officers to  comply with its standards. Such compliance can contribute to ensuring  that newly-hired officers are prepared to accomplish CBP’s mission of  securing the border and simultaneously facilitating the cross-border  movement of millions of legitimate travelers and billions of dollars in  international trade. However, CBP faces challenges in ensuring that the  training needs of its nearly 20,000 incumbent CBP officers are properly  identified and addressed. Recommendations for Executive Action

To improve CBP training efforts, we recommend that the CBP  Commissioner take the following four actions:  (1) Conduct an evaluation of the effectiveness of the “Back to Basics” and  subsequent follow-on training,  (2) Conduct a comprehensive assessment of its covert test results to  identify the causes of and systemic issues underlying the results,  (3) Establish a policy that specifies roles and responsibilities for CBP  officer training implementation and related oversight, including oversight  responsibilities to ensure that training records are entered in TRAEN  completely and accurately and  (4) Develop a plan for conducting a training needs assessment to address  any skill gaps for incumbent CBP officers and then implement that plan.
Why GAO Did This Study

Recent incidents involving potential terrorists attempting to enter the country highlight the need for a vigilant and well-trained workforce at the border. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), within the Department of Homeland Security, is the lead federal agency in charge of inspecting travelers and goods for admission into the United States. About 20,000 CBP officers play a central role in ensuring that CBP accomplishes its mission of securing the border while also facilitating the movement of millions of legitimate travelers and billions of dollars in international trade. GAO was asked to assess the extent to which CBP has (1) revised its training program for newly hired CBP officers in accordance with training standards and (2) identified and addressed the training needs of incumbent CBP officers. GAO analyzed data and documentation related to the agencys training efforts, such as its covert test program and its training records. GAO also interviewed CBP officials and CBP officers. This is a public version of a sensitive report that GAO issued in October 2011. Information CBP deemed sensitive has been redacted.

What GAO Found

CBP revised its training program for newly hired CBP officers in accordance with its own training development standards. Consistent with these standards, CBP convened a team of subject-matter experts to identify and rank the tasks that new CBP officers are expected to perform. As a result, the new curriculum was designed to produce a professional law enforcement officer capable of protecting the homeland from terrorist, criminal, biological and agricultural threats. In addition, the curriculum stated that the CBP officer is to draw conclusions and take appropriate action to identify behavioral indicators displayed by criminals, effectively interview travelers to identify potential threats, identify fraudulent documents, and use technology in support of the inspection process.
CBP has taken some steps to identify and address the training needs of its incumbent CBP officers, but could do more to ensure that these officers are fully trained. GAO examined CBPs results of covert tests conducted over more than 2 years and found significant weaknesses in the CBP inspection process at the ports of entry that were tested. In response to these tests, CBP developed a Back to Basics course in March 2010 for incumbent officers but has no plans to evaluate the effectiveness of the training. Moreover, CBP has not conducted an analysis of all the possible causes or systemic issues that may be contributing to the test results. Further evaluation of the training and causes underlying covert test results could help inform CBP about whether the training is sufficient to address the weaknesses identified by the covert tests or if adjustments are needed. In addition, CBP offices are responsible for recording their employees training records; however, CBP does not have a policy that assigns responsibility to port management to ensure that their staff enter data into its training records system completely and accurately. A policy outlining the roles and responsibilities of offices and positions for training could help clarify which offices and positions are responsible for identifying and addressing training needs and for holding these offices accountable for their responsibilities. Moreover, CBP currently does not have reliable training completion records to ensure CBP officers received required training or other training relevant to their assigned duties. Based on GAOs analysis of training records, more than 4,000 customs officers have not completed the immigration fundamentals, immigration law, and agricultural fundamentals courses, although they were required to complete them during a cross-training program. According to CBP, the training completion records are incomplete, and it is unlikely that the officers did not complete the required cross-training. Nevertheless, without reliable training records; CBP cannot provide reasonable assurance that all customs officers completed the required cross-training. Further, CBP has not conducted a needs assessment that would identify any gaps between identified critical skills and incumbent officers current skills and competencies. A needs assessment could enhance CBPs ability to ensure its workforce is training to meet its mission.

What GAO Recommends

To improve CBP training efforts, GAO recommends that the CBP Commissioner evaluate the Back to Basics training course; analyze covert test results; establish a policy for training responsibilities, including oversight of training records; and, conduct a training needs assessment. CBP concurred with the recommendations and is taking steps to address them.