CBP / BPA CBP Officer Duties & Professional Ethics 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A CBP officer's family member asks the officer to expedite their entry processing. What is the ethical obligation?
- Assist the family member as a professional courtesy
- Recuse from processing the family member and notify a supervisor (Correct answer)
- Process the family member normally without expediting
- Transfer the family member to a different inspection lane only
Correct answer: Recuse from processing the family member and notify a supervisor
Processing a family member's entry presents a conflict of interest — the officer must recuse and notify a supervisor to ensure impartial treatment.
Question 2: Under CBP's non-discrimination policy, officers must process travelers based on which standard?
- The traveler's country of passport
- Articulated reasonable suspicion or objective risk indicators, not race or religion alone (Correct answer)
- The officer's professional instinct
- Whether the traveler appears nervous
Correct answer: Articulated reasonable suspicion or objective risk indicators, not race or religion alone
CBP policy requires enforcement actions to be based on objective risk indicators and articulable reasonable suspicion — not race, religion, or national origin alone.
Question 3: What is the purpose of CBP's 'Schedule of Offenses and Penalties' for officer conduct?
- To define penalties for smuggling violations
- To establish disciplinary consequences for officer misconduct violations (Correct answer)
- To set sentences for crimes committed at ports of entry
- To outline duty rates for specific tariff categories
Correct answer: To establish disciplinary consequences for officer misconduct violations
The Schedule of Offenses and Penalties standardizes disciplinary actions for officer misconduct, ensuring consistent and proportional consequences.
Question 4: A CBP officer observes a colleague pocketing cash seized from a traveler. What must the officer do?
- Confront the colleague privately and give them a chance to correct it
- Report the misconduct to OPR, a supervisor, or the DHS Inspector General (Correct answer)
- Document the incident in a personal journal and wait to see if it happens again
- Assume there is an innocent explanation and take no action
Correct answer: Report the misconduct to OPR, a supervisor, or the DHS Inspector General
All officers have an affirmative duty to report observed misconduct to OPR, a supervisor, or the DHS Office of Inspector General.
Question 5: Which federal statute makes it a crime for a CBP officer to use their official position to obtain personal benefits?
- 18 U.S.C. § 201 (Bribery of Public Officials) (Correct answer)
- 31 U.S.C. § 3729 (False Claims Act)
- 5 U.S.C. § 2302 (Prohibited Personnel Practices)
- 18 U.S.C. § 1001 (False Statements)
Correct answer: 18 U.S.C. § 201 (Bribery of Public Officials)
18 U.S.C. § 201 prohibits public officials, including CBP officers, from seeking or accepting anything of value in exchange for official acts.
Question 6: CBP's 'Integrity Awareness Program' is designed to accomplish which goal?
- Train officers in customs valuation methods
- Educate CBP personnel about corruption risks, reporting obligations, and integrity standards (Correct answer)
- Audit import compliance for large corporations
- Screen new hire backgrounds for criminal history
Correct answer: Educate CBP personnel about corruption risks, reporting obligations, and integrity standards
The Integrity Awareness Program trains CBP employees on recognizing corruption risks, understanding their reporting obligations, and maintaining professional integrity.
CBP / BPA CBP Officer Duties & Professional Ethics 2
A CBP officer's family member asks the officer to expedite their entry processing.
What is the ethical obligation?