NCJ Number
165917
Date Published
1996
Length
130 pages
Annotation
The drug interdiction efforts of the United States Customs Service were examined with respect to their crucial elements, personnel and equipment resources, budget and operational costs, enhancements in Operation Hard Line, and measures of effectiveness.
Abstract
The analysis revealed that the program's crucial organizational elements are the offices of Field Operations and Investigations. These offices employ about 11,000 inspectors, special agents, and other staff. They use dogs, X-ray systems, boats, airplanes, and other equipment to carry out their duties. Operation Hard Line is Customs' current effort to address border violence and drug smuggling. It emphasizes intensified inspections, improved facilities, and the use of technology. Customs' drug interdiction budget has averaged abut $500 million a year for fiscal years 1990-97. The agency's two types of effectiveness measures include traditional measures that track output and nontraditional measures to track the impact of Customs' drug interdiction efforts. Traditional measures include seizures, arrests, indictments, and convictions. The only nontraditional measure used to date focuses on the reduction in the number of port runners, who try to race a drug-laden vehicle through a port. Customs is also testing a program designed to measure compliance with all laws it is responsible for enforcing. Figures and photographs