U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recently entered into a public-private partnership with Southwest Airlines Co. as part of the Donations Acceptance Program.
The program seeks tangible solutions to trade- and travel-enforcement challenges in both infrastructure and intellectual property rights enforcement. The goal is to protect stakeholders and U.S. consumers from potentially unsafe and counterfeit goods.
“CBP is pleased to announce its first corporate partnership with a major airline for the provision of canine training aids,” Todd Owen, executive assistant commissioner for the Office of Field Operations, said. “These training aids are important in helping CBP achieve its mission of safeguarding America’s borders and protecting the public from dangerous people and materials.”
Southwest will give CBP discarded luggage from ports of entry where both partners operate. CBP will use the luggage to train canines to search for and detect illegal contraband entering and leaving the United States such as narcotics, and weapons.
Under the program, CBP can accept donations of real estate, personal property, and nonpersonal services. Contributions, under the Homeland Security Act of 2002, are permitted to be used for port of entry alterations, construction, maintenance, and operations activities.
Program partners receive benefits such as deployment of authentication tools to the areas of greatest need.