I was responding to the general suggestion that what cops do or wear is none of my business, which is not true.

Also, I was born and raised in Toronto, I still carry a Canadian passport along with my US one and I have every right to criticize Canadian government policies.

NYPD officers wear bullet-proof vests.

Why do you think Toronto cops should not were protection? What do you think is wrong with police in Canada wearing bullet-proof vests. While Canada does not have the gun culture the US has, that is not to say there are no guns there.

Just so everyone here understands, the CBSA WANTED to wear bullet proof vests -- the government did not force them to do so. The Canadian government agreed to equip them in 1999. The agents also had to fight to carry handguns (started in 2007, I believe) because agents felt that dangerous work conditions existed when armed visitors arrived at land crossings from the U. S. and, as far as I am concerned, it was/is a valid concern.

I have never seen a regular on-patrol NYPD in a bullet proof vest - ever.

We're not talking about cops in Toronto, we're talking about immigration inspectors, at an airport, behind a giant desk, wearing protection from gunfire - at an airport.

Also, since the shooter is standing barely 2ft from the inspector, it's unlikely the vest will be much protection.

Also, none of the US inspectors (who would have more to fear) are wearing protection.

I was quoting your comment on TO cops (see your quote). your :rolleyes: was towards the cops, not CBSA.

I am pretty sure NYPD have bullet proof vests under their shirts -- been wearing them for a while. As I live in NYC, see them every day.

Jetbee has provided an explanation for the use of vests (and firearms), for CBSA agents, so I have no additional comments on that.

So you are bothered by CBSA officers wearing bullet proof vests yet not the least bothered by US CBP officers sitting behind their desks carrying guns?

Both - neither is required. These are immigration inspectors at an airport, not cops walking the beat in the Bronx.

A Customs and Border Protection officer (they haven't been Immigration Inspectors since at least 2003) has many more duties than working a booth at the Airport. They are sworn law enforcement officers. They have tasks, some well know and many not so well known, that will take them outside of the airport. There are Customs and Border Protection officers that will never see the inside of an international arrival hall in an airport for their entire career. There are Customs and Border Protection officers serving on Federal taskforces as well as local and state law enforcement taskforces. You would be surprised to know that all Customs and Border Protection officers also have access to many of the law enforcement equipment that is available to traditional law enforcement. Officers have access to and are qualified to use shoulder fired weapons such as a shotgun and M4 assault rifles. Officers are trained in pursuit driving and all that goes with that. Officers are subject to being transferred to many different working environments many that have nothing to do with the arrival hall of an airport. The officer has to have the training and knowledge to function in those areas and to do the tasks that are required. The fact that these requirements are not know to you the traveling public doesn’t change the officer’s requirement to be able to carry out that part of his or her job. The job entails much more than you are aware of.

The firearm is carried for the defense of the officer and the public. The very same reason that the officer on the beat as you put it carries it. Deadly force situations involve many variables including situations where the offender is not armed. The variables that are involved in this topic are many so many that it would be difficult to discuss in this medium. There are many objects that are present in the arrival hall that can be used to harm an individual. Many things that are allowed to be carried by the passenger can still be used to harm an individual. Those officers you see in the booth are the same officers that conduct secondary interviews in interview rooms many times by themselves with a passenger. Those interviews can reveal the passenger to be not the nice person you are or that they claim to be. When that happens, it often can be an unpredictable situation and is generally uncomfortable, to say the least, for all involved including the bad guy.

Those same officers are the ones processing the wanted murder suspect or any number of other violent offenders who had there warrant pop up while they were returning from vacation because they had the same mistaken impression that you do that the officer is not law enforcement. They are very surprised to find themselves being arrested for the warrant by the Immigration guys. The moment of that realization that I am getting arrested is very dangerous for everyone involved.

For many of the people that are inadmissible to the United States, being incarcerated here is still better than returning to the country that they came from. I am not talking about hardened criminals. I am talking about average person that has been living in conditions that you and I couldn't even imagine. Those people have been known to assault the officers processing them because they think that it will increase the amount of time that they get to stay in the country.

I understand your impression of a Customs and Border Protection officer’s job. There are many occupations that on the surface appear very straight forward and simple. However, in most cases, that is far from the truth. Most occupations have complexities and require knowledge that is not apparent to a casual observer. A CBP officer’s job is not any different. I am betting that to be the case for your occupation as well and I don't even know what that is. That CBP officer spends as much time as traditional law enforcement officer and in some cases a longer amount of time in training.

FB

They wear them under their shirts. I am amazed to find that you think that, in this day and age, any patrol cop in a major city wouldn't be wearing a vest. According to your logic, plain-clothes cops that have their badges exposed but their weapons under their jackets are going unarmed. Just because you can't see something doesn't mean it isn't there. Next time you are New York, ask some partol cops if they are wearing vests under their shirts.

They might, they might not; have you looked under their shirts or asked one of them?

The OP was talking about Canada-- and in any event, they appear to be called "Border Services Officers" according to the CBSA "Job Opportunities" page:

http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/job-emploi/menu-eng.html

I am aware of that. I was responding directly to his comment that mentioned both agencies. It doesn't really matter as so far it appears that he doesn't truly understand very much about law enforcement, the policies used, and equipment that is used.

FB

I think guns and vests are probably overreaction, but frankly, what they choose to wear is their business. If it makes them more relaxed when they work, good enough. I don't know about other people, but I've got enough real problems to deal with without making the work equipment of law enforcement a big one.

Unless Chertoff or his equivilent is making the vests and selling them for $2,500++ as special and necessary equipment, I don't much care either.

Wearing a bulletproof vest in the international arrivals area of an airport seems silly to me, but if they have the vests anyway and feel the need sweat more and be weighed down, by all means they can wear them. Personally, if I were in that specific position-- sitting behind a desk or roaming the international arrivals hall-- I'd probably prefer to forgo the vests since I don't find them especially comfortable and tend to get overheated easily. At a land or sea port, I'd want the vest for sure.

But the fact remains that we don't know what other duties an officer in the arrivals hall might have-- maybe they are part of an emergency response team, or something like that, and they always have to be ready to run to another part of the airport to engage in a sudden threat. I recall some nut came into LAX and started firing shots in the LY area-- the LY guards solved that on their own-- but you get the picture. Any LEO in the area would/could have engaged, and it would really suck had one been in the area and went over to assist, only to be shot in the chest while not wearing a vest .