MOU Gives CPSC Access to Certain CBP Data for Targeting

U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Bersin and Consumer Product Safety Commission Chairman Tenenbaum signed a Memorandum of Understanding on April 26, 2010 regarding CBP’s Import Safety Commercial Targeting and Analysis Center (CTAC).

(CBP established the CTAC Oct. 1, 2009, as a fusion center for agencies to share targeting resources, analysis, and expertise to achieve the common mission of protecting U.S. citizens from unsafe imports. In addition to CBP, the government agencies represented at CTAC include the CPSC, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS). See ITT’s Online Archives or 12/09/09 news, (Ref: 09120915), for BP summary of the creation of CTAC.)

CPSC to Use ACS to Conduct Risk Assessment, Targeting

According to CBP, the MOU gives CPSC the capability to conduct import safety risk assessments and perform targeting work using CBP’s Automated Commercial System.

CPSC Says Its Coordination with CBP Is Progressing

CPSC Chairman Tenenbaum recently testified that the agency has made progress in its coordination efforts with CBP, such as placing a full time CPSC employee in the CTAC, working with CBP to get access to CBP’s Automated Targeting System (ATS) manifest data, etc. (See ITT’s Online Archives or 04/21/10 news, (Ref: 10042120), for BP summary.)

CBP press release (dated 04/26/10) available at http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/newsroom/news_releases/national/04262010_2.xml