19 replies to this topic

[emodx]

There is an interesting thread on the JR BB on US Customs and confiscation that is worth reading.

Emo

[DaveWF]

cool, what's the direct link?

Lazy as usual...
Dave

[J Lew]

I read the thread, dont think the Feds are cracking down on the ISOMs as much as some think. With the occurance of 9/11 I think (and hope) our government has bigger fish to catch than a taxpayer who enjoys a good smoke. The guy next door smoking the ISOM doesnt bother me as much as a dirty nuke going off downtown. Thats just my opinion.

[Lee]

No worries

[Horse]

How about it Emo?  Working the CG, you or your shipmates board incoming ships.  Do you have to look for isoms? Or is your crew only looking for certain stuff?  I've wondered if you feel a little guilty when lighting up contraband....

[Lee]

Yeah, didn't you hear him blast me for sending him that Partagas Short! ROTFLMAO!!!!

[emodx]

I agree with the idea behind the law, but the Embargo against Cuba is hurting the Cuban people. I agree we shouldn't sell them any technology or arms, etc...But them not being a part of NAFTA hurts their economy tremendously. As far as the Coast Guard goes, for the most part we don't search for Cigars per se. I have only heard of 1 bust for gars. If we do run across gars, we normally seize the contraband, inform Customs and let them deal with it. Usually the "perps" don't get incarcerated unless it is a large shipment. We have too many other things to really worry about. Because America is a free country for the most part, Coast Guard, Border Patrol, and Customs seize very little contraband coming across the borders. In fact most is coming through the mail. There are other things I could say on the subject but wouldn't post here. Just PM me if you have any questions on the legal issues about gars and the Coast Guard.

Emo

P.S. One of the reasons I decided not to become a Boarding Officer is because I do not believe in many of the laws I am required to enforce. I joined because I wanted to save lives and get an education in life.

[Horse]

In my best Arte Johnson.....Veeeery Interesting

[djm]

strangely enough, one of the guys i jetski with just got a job with u.s. customs and just moved to ny along the st. lawrence.  he'll be working the ny/canada border.  so now i have a new place to take the waverunners and i'm going to be forced to ask him what's going to happen to any havanas he finds coming across the border.  

[cohibasurfer]

LOL@ darryl..

Hey, any friend of yours is a friend of mine....LMAO!!!

[djm]

well, he's got a typical nj i-don't-give-a-sh*t attitude, so i'm sure his reply to "hey why don't you throw me some of those havanas?" is going to be "sure, i-don't-give-a-sh*t".  hahaha

[SKYDIVNEKD]

I'm sure like any good Law enforcement officer, he'll have to test them to make sure they are what they are supposed to be. No one would want to confiscate the wrong type of contraband! LMAO!!! What a job. Tell him, "Good Luck!"

SKYDIVNEKD

[djm]

i'll tell him, sd! i found out today he's in training in georgia for 9 weeks, then he goes to his assigned location. but he doesn't smoke, so i guess i'll have to be the one doing all that taste-testing!

[Shadow]

Nine weeks in beautiful Glynco, GA during the middle of summer for training. I feel sorry for your buddy, d. I took my training at the same location in the spring(25 years ago!) and it was miserable from about May on, between the heat and the sand fleas.

The only good thing was there were some nice bars on nearby St. Simon Island. At that time you could walk in any of them with a cigar in your yap and not get any grief!

[djm]

were you there for the same training he's getting? what kind of training will he get?

it can't be any worse than taking army basic training at fort sill oklahoma in august. who knew oklahoma was an extremely humid place in hot weather? i didn't. plus our barracks was leftover temporary housing from WWII and was basically nothing more than a shack on stilts. (no a/c of course or anything else) half the windows were missing screens, so we were all bit up by mosquitos all the time too. i wonder if those buildings are still there? that was 21 years ago. it wouldn't surprise me....

ya know, this kid doesn't drink either! now might be a good time for him to start! our jetski group would stay weekends at his parent's beachhouse and we'd all be partying and having a great time with his family, but if he wasn't riding or talking about pwc's (personal watercraft) he didn't have much input so he'd amuse himself by making fun of the drunks.

hmm, doesn't drink, doesn't smoke, no sense of humour except maybe a cruel one....now that i put all that together, i'm starting to think he's going to turn into one of those prick-bastard kinds of customs officer. he's a big dude too. eh, don't feel sorry for him! haha

[Shadow]

If he is down there for nine weeks, that would be the Basic Police School, lots of classwork(constitutional law, criminal law, forensics, etc.), PT, driving, weapons. After that he will probably get additional training through Customs. Each agency has specialized training after the initial nine weeks. Could be in Georgia or at one of the agency training centers.

The National Park Service(my agency) does all their law enforcement training at Glynco, it's now 19 weeks long!

[djm]

he could use some PT. LOTS of PT! haha i think he's close to 300 lbs. hope he survives it in that heat! are there physical qualifications he needs to pass like in the military?


pt...
we like it...
we love it...
we want more of it...


parks service? that sounds pretty interesting. your agency is at odds with my group....the American Watercraft Association, formerly the IJSBA.

did you or do you patrol any parks?

[Shadow]

Yeah d I been reading about the watercraft issue. It looks now like the NPS is backing down on the number of parks that will ban them to only three.

I don't know about Custom's requirements for physical training but the Park Service won't even send their rangers down to Glynco until they go through a full physical exam and a battery of physical fitness tests that include agility, strength, running and percentage of body fat. Then you are requires to take the same test twice a year until you retire.

Was a law enforcement ranger for 22 years and was stationed at 5 different parks during that time. Now I'm an office manager. Some days I really miss the field work.

[djm]

well, you can't ban pwc (some of which are now 4-stroke) and not boats and then say it's because of 2-stroke emissions and noise. that's ridiculous. that was their original approach. at one time they started talking about including ALL national parks, eventually even Gateway National! man, gateway's literally my backyard. i'd like to know how they'd enforce THAT in a national park that's just about nothing but oceanfront spread out over 2 states with a bay in-between. ok, :::screeech::: i'm slamming the brakes on that topic or i'll go on forever! haha

yeah, that sounds like an awesome job <the field work>. working outdoors in a national park, how can you beat that? is there a downside to it? what was the strangest thing you've ever seen on the job?

i'm hoping my friend passes the physical qualifications. i'm sure there must be some. i'm beginning to wonder. he's a strong guy, but i don't know about his endurance with that weight of his.