U.S. CUSTOMS CREATES PANEL

WASHINGTON -- Faced with a growing chorus of racial bias complaints, the
U.S. Customs Service created an independent panel Thursday to review the
policies and procedures used by inspectors looking for airline passengers
who might be smuggling drugs.

Customs Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly pledged that the commission will have
"unfettered access" to the agency's records and personnel during its
three-month investigation.

The Customs Service is facing numerous lawsuits over body searches,
including an effort by almost 100 black women to file a class-action suit in
Chicago alleging they were singled out because of their race and gender.

Nationally, 43.3 percent of those subjected to body searches or X-rays last
year were black or Hispanic. Drugs were found on 6.3 percent of the blacks
searched, 2.8 percent of Hispanics and 6.7 percent of whites.