Photo Credit: James Tourtellotte

Customs steps up security at Port of Jacksonville.

"How can you criticize security in overseas ports when ports in the United States are wide open, with almost no security whatsoever?" From this provocative question has grown an outstanding success story of public-private sector partnership that has made the Port of Jacksonville, Fla., an evolving model of enhanced seaport security.

The question was posed in 1997 by Cayetano Rodriguez, General Manager of the Muelles El Bosque terminal of the Port of Cartegena, Colombia. Rodriguez was attending a Customs-sponsored conference on industry partnerships. After hearing Customs employees discuss security problems at seaport terminals in Latin America, Rodriguez pointed out that the U.S. had its security lapses. To illustrate his point, Rodriguez described how he had driven a rig onto a U.S. port, picked up a container, and took it with him as he drove out of the terminal without being stopped or questioned.

Rodriguez's story spurred Customs to reexamine its port security procedures and physical resources in depth. Ultimately, it helped lead Customs to form a working partnership with leaders from Jacksonville's shipping, port, and related industries to develop a prototype security program for seaport and marine terminals. The mutual effort is another example of Customs commitment to the concept of sharing responsibility through public-private sector partnerships.

Designing a more secure port
Customs chose a mid-sized seaport, the Port of Jacksonville, Fla. (JAXPORT), as the site for the prototype. In the first months of 1998, a task force of representatives from the local port authority, carriers, and the government (see box at right) formed to establish new standards for security in the Jacksonville port.

The group also worked to develop minimum standards for the nation's other seaport and marine terminals. Some recommendations, such as physical infrastructure, were fairly easy to make. At a minimum, eight-foot high, nine-gauge perimeter fencing with "Y" three-strand barbed wire seemed reasonable. Gates should be of the same construction, either manned with security or locked. Lighting should adequately illuminate dock, container traffic, and storage areas, and meet industry standards.

Other issues were more difficult to resolve. Should the system restrict worker access? On what basis, and with what consequences? If a card system wasn't practical, should vehicle decals be required? Should longshoremen have vehicle access to the dock and cargo areas, or be required to park off port? In addition to its work on minimum standards for all ports, the task force made specific recommendations for the Port of Jacksonville:

• an ID system should be used to control access to the dock and cargo areas;
• gates should be adequately manned and linked to central security by radio and phone;
• dock labor should have off-port parking, and be transported to and from assigned work areas;
• security should make frequent rounds of the terminals, challenging those who appear to be unauthorized;
• if security was unarmed because of liability issues, they should have ready backup;
• at a minimum, suspicious activity should be reported to carrier security and to Customs;
• the port should have adequate perimeter fencing and lighting for the dock/cargo area; and
• high-quality closed circuit cameras should monitor the port and maritime terminals.

Players in the Jacksonville Partnership Members of the Jacksonville task force include: Randy Anderson, Assistant Manager, JAXPORT Talleyrand Docks Terminal Cliff Bartley, Operations Manager, SeaLand Services Al Gina, Director, Industry Partnerships, U.S. Customs Service, Office of Field Operations (OFO) Jamie Groccia, U.S. Customs Service, OFO Lt. Roger Henderson, U.S. Coast Guard Steve Kaputska, Assistant Manager JAXPORT Blount Island Terminal Roger Lagines, U.S. Customs Service, Office of Investigations (OI) Brian Paradise, Crowley American Transport Robert Perez, U.S. Customs Service, OFO Scott Reed, Naverias Lines Victoria Robas, Manager, JAXPORT Talleyrand Docks Terminal Dave Smoltz, Manager of the JAXPORT Blount Island Terminal

Implementing the changes
In December 1998, the committee submitted its draft report, "Minimum Security for Seaports and Marine Terminals," to Customs Headquarters. In the meantime, seaport security and crime had become hot political issues. Two Florida legislators, U.S. Senator Bob Graham and U.S. Representative E. Clay Shaw, had introduced legislation that led to funding for Customs Port Security Initiative.

Soon afterwards, the White House established a special commission to look into security and crime issues at seaports across the nation.

For the task force in Jacksonville, the timing was perfect. Using the task force's recommendations, Customs invested $1.6 million in new security cameras, ID system equipment, scanners, fencing, and a mobile full container X-ray system. The carriers, and especially JAXPORT, followed suit. Together, they have spent approximately the same amount to construct new gates with security cameras and upgrade perimeter fencing and terminal lighting to meet the new specs. In addition, through the State of Florida, JAXPORT obtained STARS low-resolution full container x-ray system for detecting stolen vehicles and contraband for export.

The Port of Jacksonville now stands as a model on at least two levels. With its state-of-the-art security improvements, it serves as a prototype for applying technology to enhance the security of our ports. Moreover, the work of the Jacksonville task force stands as an example of what is possible when private and public sector organizations work together on a common cause. With Jacksonville as a model, OFO staffs are working to improve security technology at the nation's high-risk ports of entry.

High-tech security: Coming soon to a port near you Question: What do the seizures of three vehicles and a boat in Falcon Dam, Tex., and a 600-pound marijuana seizure in Miami, Fla. have in common? Answer: The technology that inspectors and special agents used to make the seizures: recently installed hi-tech surveillance cameras to monitor suspicious or illegal activity. The program that implements these and other security technology solutions in the field is Customs Port Security Initiative, operated by the Anti-Smuggling Division of the Office of Field Operations (OFO). The initiative, which also helped fund some of the improvements in Jacksonville, is designed to evaluate and address the security needs at high-risk ports of entry in the U.S. Customs system. "Through this initiative," says James T. Engleman, Director, OFO/Anti-Smuggling, "the U.S. Customs Service remains in the forefront by effectively addressing the ongoing challenges and security concerns at our nation’s ports." With assistance from the Applied Technology Division’s Technology Support Branch (TSB) and local Customs employees, OFO staff are visiting high risk ports of entry to determine security needs and how to address them. Following each survey, TSB staff makes specific recommendations to OFO/Anti-Smuggling and the local port. Once all the parties involved have agreed on a plan of action, TSB staff oversee the contracting, installation, and approval of new security technology. Some of the most common types of security enhancements include closed circuit TV video systems to monitor and/or record activity, ID/access control systems, security gates, fencing, lighting, covert surveillance equipment, and remote surveillance systems. The first port OFO and TSB staff visited was the Port of Miami at Dodge Island. To date, staff have conducted surveys at 19 ports, and have awarded ten contracts for specific work, including the project at the Jacksonville, Fla., port. Other port locations where funds have been committed from the Port Security Initiative include Port Everglades, San Juan, Charleston, Hidalgo, Brownsville, Laredo, Eagle Pass, Del Rio, and Nogales. Future locations include LA/Long Beach, Newark, Norfolk, and El Paso.