One of my goals during my tenure as Commissioner was to enhance the professionalism of the Customs Service and improve its standing among America's law enforcement agencies. Twenty-four hour carry, improved uniformed appearance, enhanced journeyman standing for inspectors and agents, the ongoing push for 6-c status for inspectors, in-service training and accountability -- these initiatives, among others, were designed to bring us to the point where we could define the Customs Service as second to none. Because of your dedication to duty, we reached that point. And it was illustrated in some pretty spectacular ways, including the capture of Ahmed Ressam and record breaking seizures of ecstasy. You saved countless lives. You helped educate the public to the new and growing menace of club drugs. You kept America safe.

There have been other milestones. When the Customs Service was in the crosshairs of the Senate Finance Committee over personal search and other contentious issues, the agency, generally, and our search authority, specifically, were at risk. But by swiftly reforming our procedures and providing better oversight and accountability, we prevailed. Our reform of the personal search process made it easier and fairer for law-abiding travelers to clear Customs. Simultaneously, our efficiency in seizing contraband improved. We also afforded protection for inspectors from lawsuits. Public confidence in the Customs Service skyrocketed -- a fact reflected in the overwhelmingly positive response from thousands of travelers who returned comment cards after entering the United States. They repeatedly praised the Customs Service for treating them professionally and courteously.

Through it all, you maintained a credible deterrent to smuggling even as our resources failed to match the explosive growth in trade. And, together, we took important steps to fully automate the way we process millions of entries. Congressional funding for the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) was another, very important victory. When we look back years from now, I believe that this initial ACE funding will have marked a turning point. We will be able to say that this made possible a revolution in how we process the ever-increasing volume of trade. I also believe that a newly strengthened partnership with the trade emerged from the Customs Trade Symposium 2000. Openness and access were the hallmarks of the symposium, and I trust that will continue.

Customs will always face challenges. But, I'm confident that now, more than ever, you are better prepared for them. Where the General Accounting Office once questioned the ability of Customs to manage large acquisitions like ACE, it now praises our management changes and our automation program. Our Office of Finance has been recognized for designing a streamlined, integrated asset management plan that is as advanced and innovative as any in the public or private sector, and will guarantee fiscal soundness at Customs for years to come. The reorganization of the Office of Investigation and the improved span of control there makes the Customs Service better equipped to do the job. So does centralization of all of our foreign activity under the Office of International Affairs. The vastly strengthened Office of Internal Affairs gives Customs the ability to respond credibly to any attempt to compromise the integrity of our personnel. The establishment of a Code of Conduct reinforced this, and the creation of the new disciplinary review process helped prevent disparate treatment of employees nationwide.

Creating an Office of Training for the first time in the agency's history was essential in giving training the priority it needed. We also focused on recruiting the best candidates possible and in keeping the skills of existing employees sharp throughout their careers. That applies to entry level through the senior ranks. The most promising leadership candidates can now get the best management training in the country through the Customs partnership with the Columbia University Graduate School of Business. Among the things in which I take the most pride at Customs is how we now respond to support families of employees who have been injured or who died through our Employee Support and Assistance Unit. The response to this outreach has been inspiring, and it is a credit to the Customs personnel professionals engaged in this work.

Customs is, at its core, a law enforcement agency. Anyone who doubts it need only to reflect on the new memorial to Customs employees killed in the line of duty. The memorial has been erected in the entrance lobby to headquarters in Washington. You can't get past the front doors without seeing it. This was done purposefully. It was done to remind the people who went to work each day of the sacrifices of others. It also reminded those of us called upon to lead that it was an honor to serve.