Border Patrol Agent

[Firebug]

Lets simplify this. Has the individual in charge of the OFO academy ever worked at a POE in the 1895 series or as an II or CI? No, because he is a BPA. If you want to get into semantics we can do this all day. The guys point was that a PA was in charge over it and there is in fact a PA in charge.

Ok let’s stay simple. The individual WAS a Patrol Agent. He is NOT a Patrol Agent now nor is his series now an 1896. Just like Acting Deputy CBP Commissioner Thomas Winkowski was a CBPO but is not now and his series is not now an 1895. Just as Acting Commissioner Aguilar was a Patrol Agent he is not now nor is his series now an 1896. Again I encourage you to take a look at how the agencies are now organized.

Further, for your information Director Strong spent from 1998 to 2003 as a Supervisory Immigration Officer at the Immigration Officer Academy managing enforcement training for Immigration Inspectors, Immigration Special Agents, Detention Enforcement Officers and Deportation Officers during this time he was neither a Border Patrol Agent nor an 1896. His series was the same as all the other instructors that were teaching at the predecessor to the OFO academy know as INS IOBTC.

I would suggest that you take your own advice and check your facts before discussing a topic.

FB

[Firebug]

I'm actually glad to have heard about the improvements to the OFO academy that I have read about recently. Marching, yelling, and a much tougher PT program. Not only that, but more difficult firearms quals, and driving training. It sounds like they made some good improvements, and some of them might be because of influence from Border Patrol.

I am certainly happy about the changes to our current academy. Can it be attributed to influence from Border Patrol? Maybe but maybe not, It might surprise you to know that when I went thru the basic academy way back when it was under INS. My firearms qualification course was the exact same qualification course that the Border Patrol currently uses. They were exactly the same. Ours changed with the merge. I also had driver training as well. What we were lacking in at that time was physical standards and discipline.

It certainly goes both ways. I am betting that you will find some of your co-workers will believe that many of the changes to the current BP academy and training programs have come from the influence of Customs. I would have to agree and probably many of them were not a good influence.

FB

[merlin436]

It's actually a pretty interesting read looking at some of the current comparisions and diversity break-downs between the two positions. If anybody gets a chance to pull up 'the green book' on 'Netsecure, it's worth a look.

[Spin]

Ok let’s stay simple. The individual WAS a Patrol Agent. He is NOT a Patrol Agent now nor is his series now an 1896. Just like Acting Deputy CBP Commissioner Thomas Winkowski was a CBPO but is not now and his series is not now an 1895. Just as Acting Commissioner Aguilar was a Patrol Agent he is not now nor is his series now an 1896. Again I encourage you to take a look at how the agencies are now organized.

Further, for your information Director Strong spent from 1998 to 2003 as a Supervisory Immigration Officer at the Immigration Officer Academy managing enforcement training for Immigration Inspectors, Immigration Special Agents, Detention Enforcement Officers and Deportation Officers during this time he was neither a Border Patrol Agent nor an 1896. His series was the same as all the other instructors that were teaching at the predecessor to the OFO academy know as INS IOBTC.

I would suggest that you take your own advice and check your facts before discussing a topic.

FB

What color uniform does he wear from day to day? Not trying to start anything and can see what you are saying by him being a 'former pa'. Though if the man is wearing a green uniform...sorry, but makes him a PA; no?

Sidenote: I honestly don't know what he is wearing day to day; just happened to see his picture is still in green.

[merlin436]

If having Strong in charge of the OFO academy rises to the level of "CBP academy is now run by Border Patrol", then wouldn't having Acting Commissioner Aguilar(another PA) in charge of the entire Bureau rise to the level of "all of CBP is run by Border Patrol"?

If that's the case...why argue? We're all owned by BP...one way or another.

[Firebug]

If having Strong in charge of the OFO academy rises to the level of "CBP academy is now run by Border Patrol", then wouldn't having Acting Commissioner Aguilar(another PA) in charge of the entire Bureau rise to the level of "all of CBP is run by Border Patrol"?

If that's the case...why argue? We're all owned by BP...one way or another.

Both Director Strong the head of the OFO academy and the Chief of the Border Patrol academy report to the head of the Office of Training and Development. Both academies fall under the Office of Training and Development. The head of the Office of Training and Development would be Assistant Commissioner Hall. Assistant Commissioner Hall is a Coasty. He came from the Coast Guard. So if we follow the logic of some of the folks in this thread both academies are run by the Coast Guard.

FB

[Firebug]

What color uniform does he wear from day to day? Not trying to start anything and can see what you are saying by him being a 'former pa'. Though if the man is wearing a green uniform...sorry, but makes him a PA; no?

Sidenote: I honestly don't know what he is wearing day to day; just happened to see his picture is still in green.

The current Acting Deputy Commissioner of CBP, Mr. Winkowski, wears a blue uniform when he is wearing a uniform. Does that make him a CBPO? I am betting that he doesn't think so. I also know that when I had official dealings with him I didn't see him as currently being a CBPO.

FB

[Firefox]

The current Acting Deputy Commissioner of CBP, Mr. Winkowski, wears a blue uniform when he is wearing a uniform. Does that make him a CBPO? I am betting that he doesn't think so. I also know that when I had official dealings with him I didn't see him as currently being a CBPO.

FB

Who cares what color uniform he is wearing, at the end of the day if someone wants a job they are going to go through training regardless of who is in charge. BPAs and CBPOs are all part of the same agency so it really should not matter. Now if the color of the uniform has a direct impact on the hiring process then this the correct venue, but if not lets move on.

[Firebug]

Who cares what color uniform he is wearing, at the end of the day if someone wants a job they are going to go through training regardless of who is in charge. BPAs and CBPOs are all part of the same agency so it really should not matter. Now if the color of the uniform has a direct impact on the hiring process then this the correct venue, but if not lets move on.

Hey, I tend to agree. However, I was not the one saying that one component was running the others academy. The topic came into play because one poster was given incorrect information that does impact the hiring process and it was plain wrong. As someone that does administer tasks in the hiring process such as the SI, I try not to let incorrect information hang like that. There already is enough incorrect information and assumptions floating around.

I believe that you find other posters that in this thread assign much more importance to the color of the uniform that is being worn than I do. That is the whole point that I was trying to convey. Just because a director was at one point a BPA does not mean that Border Patrol is running that academy.

I also think you will be surprised at the amount of folks in this thread that will refuse to accept and absolutely deny that BPA's and CBPO's are part of the same agency. I personally don't have a problem with it at all. This is not a new thing. It was the same way when Border Patrol was under INS. There just happens to be a big green ego issue. It comes from the culture of the agency and the training, very similar to the State Trooper vs Local Law enforcement in some states. Most of the time it is harmless, other times it can get in the way.

FB

[Escapar La Frontera]

Enough of the inaccurate information, The OFO academy is NOT being run by Border Patrol. The training academies of both the office of Border Patrol and Office of Field Operation fall under Fletc which is a separate entity from both OBP and OFO. You have a lot to learn when you fail to understand the organization of the agency that you work for. That is why officers and agents for both agencies should spend the first couple of years with their agency spending all their effort learning the job instead of attempting to bad mouth it. It makes it even worst when the information is wrong.

If you don't like the agency resign, PM me and I will help you with that. I certainly would want to work with you considering your attitude. I can assure you a "normal police agency" would not put up with your attitude either.

FB

Regardless of who runs the OFO academy, the reason a BPA or former BPA is there is because BR running the OFO academy actually improves the image of the OFO academy. It says to new hires that the academy is taken seriously, that it is paramilitary, and that new hires will be held to high standards akin to those that BP is held to.

It's important for an applicant to be aware of the serious problems that face CBP-OFO. You can deny that they exist or insist against all available facts that they are improving, but working three 16 hour days of forced OT back to back to back is a SERIOUS safety hazard and yet it happens all the time. Saying that is not badmouthing the agency. It's providing a realistic job image to an applicant.

"If you don't like the agency resign, PM me and I will help you with that." That statement and that perspective, which shows a lack of willingness to even speak about problems, is a gateway into the outlook of management.

[Escapar La Frontera]

FWIW, current attrition for both positions is fairly low and morale is on the upswing. Maybe you're using old data. Anyhow the 'morale is so low that the agency loses tons of officers to attrition every day' is old hat, obsolete and outdated. Check your facts.

You also might want to research other federal law enforcement academies. Few have anything other than an 'emphasis is on graduating 100%'. That's the nature of the beast.

You know what, I actually agree. I'm not sure that we lose "tons of officers". In fact, getting the GS-12 has definitely helped. But, we still seem to be extremely short-staffed.

Now, one can say to suck it up and deal. And that's fine, but, as an applicant there are things I would've wanted to know. Specifically, the overtime situation as dictated by staffing and our contract.

[merlin436]

You know what, I actually agree. I'm not sure that we lose "tons of officers". In fact, getting the GS-12 has definitely helped. But, we still seem to be extremely short-staffed.

Now, one can say to suck it up and deal. And that's fine, but, as an applicant there are things I would've wanted to know. Specifically, the overtime situation as dictated by staffing and our contract.

There are 330ish ports within OFO. Every one of those ports has it's unique OT situation. Even if it was possible to bundled like ports together there would still be dozens of different "overtime situations"...and many of those would wildly swing based on staffing and service needs at any given moment. I'm not even sure it would be possible, as a whole, to give applicants any meaningful "this is where we'll likely be with OT in the next few years and this is what you'll likely be looking at experiencing."

If too many OT hours is an issue, I see three likely 'outs' for you.
One, the agency is going after OFO overtime almost as aggressively as they're going after BP's AUO. Sooner or later, just about every port will have to learn to make due with a smaller OT budget.
Two, the closer you get to a GS-12, the fewer hours you'll work for the same money. A GS-12 works less than one hour of OT for the same money as a GS-05 makes working two hours.
Three, swap/lateral to somewhere else. There are probably multiple people in multiple ports making 3.5K each year in OT who would love to have a shot at the money you're seeing. Find a person or a port somewhere where OT is seldom and rare and swap/transfer there.

[ZODIAC76]

Has anyone "failed" the polygraph for Customs and then get hired for Border Patrol?

[yuri]

are they hiring?

[willsal]

Hi guys I have my 1st fitness test next week just would like to hear some ideas from ppl that already toook the test in the past I think I could pass it it's just that 5min step I'm not sure what to expect about that anything would help thanks.