In the past, the administrative aspects of "qualifying" involved a large outlay of manpower and other resources. Firearms instructors would accompany shooters to the range, record scores manually as they were called out and then transfer those scores to a "CF-317" - a form that eventually was executed and secured in a file drawer at the local Primary Firearms Instructors office. Hardly a high-tech approach.

Accountability hinges on accurate record-keeping. Accuracy - in the absence of automated information and management systems - depends on the unrealistic notion that the human beings transferring numbers from one piece of paper to another will never make mistakes.

Automation gives Customs the advantage
Today, the system that depended on the manual recording of firearms qualification records has been replaced by a new automated management system. And the difference, field testers say, is giving Customs an advantage it never had before. Kudos for the improved system go to the Office of Training and Development, Firearms and Tactical Training Division (FTTD), which worked hand-in-hand over the past year with the Office of Information and Technology to develop and implement the new automated management system.

The FTTD keeps track of every firearm the agency seizes or issues to Customs personnel via serial numbers assigned to every weapon. Those serial numbers are recorded in a master database in the Firearms Information Tracking System (FITS). Now, Firearms Instructors will be able to manage the firearms qualification information through the use of the same database by simply pulling a computer-generated roster from the FITS management reports. Each roster will contain the employee's name, a list of weapons assigned to him or her, and firearms qualifying scores to date. As new scores accumulate, instructors can add these electronically to the same roster, updating critical information, ensuring accountability, and maintaining database accuracy.

When the new module goes online service-wide, expect even more benefits. For example, all firearms exercises and Confrontational Safety Awareness training will also be entered into the TRAEN system by local TRAEN Coordinators.

The new Qualification Module in the FITS is currently being field tested by selected offices. Field testers have entered firearms qualification scores into FITS for the first 2001 qualification period and the test is running smoothly with positive results. Soon, when the Module is available Customs-wide, armed employees, firearms instructors, supervisors, and other levels of management will all have access to a new, and newly organized, trove of information. Individual employees will be able to reference their scores and qualification histories any time they want. Managers will be able to respond quickly and confidently to policy compliance issues, making sure the right qualifying scores are in place when they need to be.

The automation of qualification scores, firearms, and related training are all part of a larger Firearms Infrastructure Reorganization and Enhancement plan currently in effect by the Office of Training and Development.

For more information regarding this new initiative, contact Andrea Richardson of the FTTD, at (706) 649-7892, ext. 106.