CBP Needs to Improve the Oversight of its Canine Program to Better Train and Reinforce Canine Performance

We determined that U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) training approach and execution do not fully support the canine teams’ mission to detect smuggling of illegal narcotics, agriculture products, and humans at and between ports of entry. In fiscal year 2019, CBP decided to realign its Canine Academy, which contributed to a decrease in canine teams trained in the first two quarters of FY 2020. Office of Field Operations (OFO) canine teams used pseudo narcotic training aids past the recommended replacement cycle. Both Border Patrol and OFO canine teams used outdated actual narcotic training aids during proficiency training in the field. Additionally, OFO canine team files did not have required documentation for proficiency training. Furthermore, CBP’s inadequate governance of canine team operations led to outdated Canine Program policies and procedures, inconsistent retention periods for training documents, and an absence of Canine Tracking System policies and procedures. We recommended that the Office of Training and Development (OTD) Assistant Commissioner develop a comprehensive assessment of the Canine Program realignment to ensure implementation according to OTD training standards. Furthermore, we recommended the Border Patrol Chief and OFO Executive Assistant Commissioner ensure their Canine Programs have enough certified canine instructors and adequate training aids to provide proficiency training for canines after they are deployed. In total, we made four recommendations that, if implemented, should help CBP improve oversight of its Canine Program, formalize and implement a realignment plan for the training academy, provide proper training capabilities, and update and standardize program guidance. CBP concurred with all our recommendations.