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U.S. Customs and Border Protection

Engaged Employer

A federal law enforcement agency with a high school mentality. - Customs and Border Protection Officer U.S. Customs and Border Protection Employee Review

1.0
Oct 10, 2013
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Good resume builder. A lot of other law enforcement agencies will look upon your time as a CBP Officer with some interest. It is federal law enforcement experience, you do attend a 19-week basic academy plus 6-week Spanish language academy. You can use this job as a building block or stepping stone. However, there are serious internal issues that may work against morale and job satisfaction.

Cons

Lack of intellectual challenge. A great many CBP Officers just want a government job to collect a paycheck from. Nothing more, nothing less. They don't care about stopping crime or enforcing the law, just give them a paycheck and don't ask them to work too hard. This attitude is reinforced from the top to the bottom. Per the current union contract, managers can force you to work up to 3 mandatory overtime shifts of 16 hours in a row. It's unsafe, especially because CBP Officers are armed law enforcement entrusted to make sound decisions. Who can make a sound decision after 15 hours of work? Sexual harassment of females is ever-present at CBP. Many supervisors, chiefs, and even higher have a mysoginistic attitude towards females. In fact, many supervisors feel that it's their right to flirt with and attempt to pick up female members of the public while on-duty and in full uniform. It was truly embarassing to be associated with these slobs. Most supervisors lack training and knowledge are insecure in their positions. Therefore, they project their insecurities on front-line personnel through mistreatment and vindictive disciplinary write-ups. I was once ordered to write a false report for a supervisor to corroborate his write-up of another officer he didn't like. I told him "no" and promptly gave my two weeks notice. I didn't even bother reporting the incident to CBP Internal Affairs because I knew they wouldn't do anything and that the supervisors would simply adopt me as their new "punching bag." You can forget about being recognized for your accomplishments. On-the-spot awards are given only to officers that management likes. In one case, I saw multiple on-the-spot awards given to an officer simply because she was a supervisor's niece. Instead of challenging the system, I chose to quietly give my 2 weeks notice and leave without starting a fuss. Trying to stand up to the ingrained ineptitude at CBP isn't worth anyone's time. The realization I came to was that If you want a REAL law enforcement career try a local police department. They will likely have similarly poor office politics, but you are much likelier to work alongside respectable, hard-working individuals who care about helping their community.

Explore other reviews about U.S. Customs and Border Protection

5.0
Mar 6, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Great environment for attorneys of all experience levels wanting to enter government service. Promotional advancement is clear and fair.

Cons

Experience and outcomes may vary by office/region.

4.0
Jun 29, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Comfortable office, reasonable expectations form management, Good salary

Cons

Gets slow when there are Budget problems

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