Enforcement Experience to Guide Kerlikowske in Trade, Sees Brokers as Front Line
LAS VEGAS -- CBP Commissioner Gil Kerlikowske's past roles as police chief and the head of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) provide him some important skills that will help in his role in overseeing international trade, he said while speaking at the National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America conference April 9. Kerlikowske looked to relieve concerns that his focus at CBP would be driven by his enforcement experience with less of an emphasis on facilitation. Kerlikowske, who admitted he's still working to become more familiar with trade issues, said he hopes to strengthen the agency's relationship with customs brokers and sees the industry as key partner to the government's mission on the border.
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Anyone concerned with his enforcement past should consider what he learned as police chief in Seattle, he said. For the local businesses there to survive, they rely on the police to allow for a secure environment for commerce, he said. That's true of international trade as well, he said. Also, his federal experience at ONDCP provided some experience for bringing together multiple government agencies toward a single goal, he said. CBP could do a better job of breaking down "silos" to get the other agencies on the same page, he said.