Border Patrol needs to improve data quality, assessment of surveillance technology on southern border, GAO reports

U.S. Border Patrol has effectively deployed surveillance technology like radars, sensors, and cameras along the southern border, but data quality and efforts to assess the effectiveness need to be improved, a recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) review found.

Although technology programs outlined in the 2011 Arizona Border Technology Plan (ATP) and the 2014 Southwest Border Technology Plan have experienced delays, they are on track to current timelines for deployment along the southern border in Arizona, Texas, California, and New Mexico.

Border Patrol has reported that it’ll use its requirements management process (RMP) to identify capability gaps and to collect feedback from agents on the technology programs. Written guidance is currently being developed to clarify the roles and responsibilities of various station officials.

“Border Patrol agents collect and report data on asset assists, which are instances in which technologies or other assets such as canine teams contributed to an apprehension or seizure; however, Border Patrol has not provided sufficient guidance to ensure the accuracy and reliability of that data,” the GAO stated. “For example, agents incorrectly attributed some apprehensions or seizures to certain technologies rather than others. Stations in the Rio Grande Valley sector recorded assists from IFTs in about 500 instances from June through December 2016; however, this sector does not have IFTs.”

Individual sectors are tasked with data integrity and quality checks, but they have received insufficient guidance to ensure data quality, the report concludes.

“Without sufficient guidance to ensure the quality of asset assist data, Border Patrol is limited in its ability to determine the mission benefits of its surveillance technologies and use information on benefits to inform resource allocation decisions,” GAO continued.

The GAO concluded by recommending that the chief of Border Patrol issue guidance to improve the quality and usability of surveillance technology to better gauge their impact on improving border security.