U.S. Customs to combine targeting centers

U.S. Customs and Border Protection will consolidate its national targeting centers for cargo and passengers in a new facility early this fall. CBP Commissioner Gil Kerlikowske speaking at Chamber
   U.S. Customs and Border Protection will merge its national targeting centers (NTC) for cargo and passengers in a new facility early this fall, Commissioner Gil Kerlikowske said Wednesday in an address at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Global Supply Chain Summit in Washington.
   The NTC-Cargo analyzes required commercial submissions, such as advance manifests and importer security filings, along with strategic information on criminals and terrorists using a rules-based automated system to flag suspicious shipments before they reach the U.S. shores. Shipments that are targeted for security inspection are communicated to officers at ports of entry or stationed in overseas ports.
   The NTC-Cargo has liaisons on site from other agencies such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Drug Enforcement Agency. Representatives from international partners such as Japan, Mexico and the European Union also periodically work at the NTC to hone best practices for information sharing and enforcement.
   Kerlikowske told a reporter later that the agency had outgrown the existing facilities in Northern Virginia and that passenger and cargo targeting have similarities that will benefit from having expertise in one location.