BUFFALO: United states Border patrol and Customs will be working extra hard to make sure the border is safe. More than 10,000 cars trucks and buses cross the Peace Bridge into the U.S., and with that number expected to spike over the holiday season.
“We are the busiest northern border land port of entry when you consider passenger vehicles and commercial vehicles.” said Rose Hilmey, port director of the Port of Buffalo at the Peace Bridge.
Hilmey said every stop at the toll plaza is designed to keep our borders safe. There are radiation detractors, license plate readers, and radio frequency ID readers that let officers know who you are before you even pull up to the booth. That gives an officer about a minute to assess the situation.
“We say 50 to 60 seconds that officer has to make a determination whether not that vehicle and the people inside that vehicle are admissible to the U.S.,” said Wilmey.
Vehicles crossing the bridge to Canada can also be stopped for inspection.
“You’re looking for narcotics leaving the country because those narcotics are used for trade, trade within that illicit industry. Cocaine going outbound might bring marijuana going inbound,” said Aaron Bowker, U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
A mobile Vehicle and Contraband Inspection Unit allow officers to look at the contents of a truck without opening it. This year alone, the truck scanned more than 38,000 trucks, and the unit in Lewiston scanned close to 50,000.
“The officers, when they have a commodity, they’re able to scan the truck, they’re able to see what’s in there and they’re able to sort of determine is the scan constant with the commodity,” said Bowker.
U.S. Customs officials said they understand cross-border travelers sometimes complain about wait times at the bridges, but a short wait may be a small price to pay to may sure people on both sides are safe.
