These Boots Were Made For...CBP
When it comes to what to wear to work, U.S. Customs and Border Protection is unique. In addition to civilian employees with personal options in clothing choices, CBP has 3 distinct uniformed services within our agency today—Air and Marine Operations, Office of Field Operations, and U.S. Border Patrol—each with its own sets of official clothes and accessories that distinguish them and their law enforcement responsibilities.
"Fowl Play" for a Neck Hackle
This bird hackle—the feathers along the neck—came from a Grey Jungle Fowl, a species of rooster found in India. Hackles like these are especially prized by fishermen, who use the feathers in tying flies for bait. This hackle was seized in 1976 when it was illegally brought into the country by a fly-tying retailer.
A Fine-Tuned Fabric Tester
The fabric tester—also called a linen tester, pick counter, thread counter, or micrometer—is an optical instrument used to check the threads that criss-cross each other within a specific area of woven cloth. The number of stitches and spaces between the stiches of the warp (thread that is held in tension on the loom or frame) and weft (the thread that is drawn over and under the warp) reveal information about the quality and type of fabric.
An "Extra Special" Espresso Machine
U.S. Customs Service Commissioner William von Raab revealed what he hoped was a “crippling blow” to a major international drug smuggling operation. The story made the front page of the New York Times on February 23, 1982, under the headline “Heroin Valued At $70 Million Reported Seized.”
A "Predatory" Seal Press
Seal presses use pressure to force a top and bottom set of dies together to create an embossed design on paper or foil. They are still used today by notaries to mark important legal documents, though they have largely been supplanted by inked stamps.
Fake, Fraud, or Genuine Rolex?
The Rolex Oyster Perpetual Submariner was the world’s first waterproof wristwatch. It set the benchmark for diving watches, though Rolex notes that it has also been treasured by “explorers, athletes, film-makers, artists, and others across all walks of life”—not to mention one very notable fictional spy, James Bond!
A Real Government Black List
Today, law enforcement officers can check electronic databases for arrest records and biometric evidence like fingerprints, which appear on screen in seconds to confirm the identity of a suspect. But in the days before computers, officers and agents relied on paper records and their own memories and powers of deduction to match a criminal with his or her identifying information.
Moorsom's Stanchion
Every tool used by U.S. Customs had a name and specific purpose. But that history was sometimes lost over time. This artifact was a mystery. It was clearly a gauge of some kind. But there were no pictures of it in old Customs manuals, and an online search showed that other historical collections didn’t have a name for it, either.
Special Agent "Listening" Device
Before the Department of Homeland Security was operational and investigators were transferred to ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) in 2003, Special Agents tracked down smugglers and other Customs violators for the U.S. Customs Service and secured evidence against them. Among the equipment in their investigative arsenal were “trap and trace” wiretap devices.
Air Branch "Eyes" Patch
Cloth patches have been used since World War I to distinguish units or divisions on the battlefield. Morale patches—often containing funny, rude, or “in your face” images and phrases—are unofficial designs that help build esprit de corps. Like other federal agencies and the military, the U.S. Customs Service Air Branches created their share of unique morale patches.
Bad, Buggy, Blotched and Blighted Biological Specimens
Many of CBP’s inspection locations retain modern and historic collections of specimens—stashed in vials and jars, mounted in boxes, and encased in Lucite. These collections serve as a physical encyclopedia and record of what was plucked from shipments and travelers.
Paul Lawrence: A Customs Career
Opium smuggling was a continuing problem for Customs. While in Hong Kong, Paul went on official assignment to document opium cultivation, sale and use in nearby Thailand, the only country that still licensed public opium smoking houses and where the government controlled opium sales. Over a few days, he visited poppy fields and four opium smoking houses in Bangkok. While in town, he quietly snapped photographs with a camera and flash bulbs he concealed in his pockets.
Barrel-Bashing Bungstarts
Among the arsenal of tools used by certain Customs Appraisers was a strange-looking mallet. Its long wooden handle tapered to a thin strip, attached to a flattened wooden head by a dovetail joint and/or rivets, bolts or dowels.