2 April 2004

GAO repeats recommendation for better Customs container targeting

The following article is excerpted from the 2 April 2004 on-line edition of “American Shipper”.

The risk analysis system used by U.S. Customs and Border Protection to target containers for inspection lacks sufficient checks and balances to guarantee accuracy, according to a public summary of a report on container security by the General Accounting Office [GAO].

Customs could more precisely identify which shipments pose a potential terrorist threat by employing a more comprehensive approach to vulnerability and risk assessments, and subjecting results to peer review, better random inspections and other comparisons to provide a benchmark for automated targeting, a common practice associated with computer modeling, the GAO said ….