CALL THE "POLICE." SURE, BUT WHY CALL these people "POLICE?"

Have you noticed that the uniformed individuals escorting defendants to federal criminal proceedings lately have a patch prominently displayed on their uniform that says "POLICE DHS"?

In the same vein, ICE, or Immigration and Customs Enforcement, famously fought for the ability to display "POLICE" on their uniforms and equipment and which they paste on many things.

Like so:  
                  US Customs and Border Protection at the Border

                     (Adrees Latif/Reuters)

                                                                                                                                     

Are they trying to convince us that they are "POLICE" by repeating the word over and over on their uniforms and on their equipment?

                                                       US Customs and Border Protection Agents (CBPO)                                                                                                                          

If the DHS and its Customs and Border Protection (USCBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) personnel are law enforcement officers, what training in law enforcement do they have?                                                                                                                                                                         

Presumably the individuals who investigate things like drug trafficking across borders have received training in conducting an investigation.  What training in investigative techniques and processes do the other personnel receive, if any?

If they become police officers when they are hired by DHS for USCBP or ICE, for example, how does DHS go about selecting them to become federal employees?

And selecting them to become law enforcement officers?

How do their hiring and retention policies compare to those of most city police departments and the majority of county sheriffs' offices?

Why has there been so little reporting about their practices?

How is it that we do not know the answers to such simple questions if these outfits are in effect held up as rivals to the oldest and most experienced federal law enforcement agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation?

We do have a very good idea of how FBI agents are selected, how they are trained, and in what they are trained.  The FBI does not exactly give any information away, and still we know the answers to these essential questions when we ask them about the FBI.

Why don't we know the answers to these essential questions about the DHS or USCBP or ICE?

And why is the FBI of all agencies more transparent and accessible than they are?

Please Read The Disclaimer.  ©2018 Dennis J. Wall.  All Rights Reserved.