BUGS PLAGUING VIDEO BORDER SURVEILLANCE

A remote fibre-optic camera system keeping tabs on the United States-Canada
border since March is troubled by a raft of glitches. U.S. Border Patrol
Deputy Chief John Bates said Wednesday staff daily report problems with the
monitoring system. While he wouldn't give up specifics, issues reportedly
include malfunctioning focus in higher temperatures and problems with the
fibre-optics.

"There still are bugs right now," Bates said.

"The message I'm getting from headquarters is the issues we're having are
going to get addressed. We're just sitting back and waiting for that to
happen."

The 32 pairs of cameras, strategically placed on 18-metre poles along 70 km
of border between Blaine and the Columbia Valley, were the product of two
years' work to strengthen border enforcement. A key focus was illegal
aliens and B.C.-grown marijuana.

Bates said since coming on line, the cameras have made an impact.

"It's been great--we caught 107 illegal entrants; there were five loads of
marijuana that we apprehended, valued about $800,000 U.S.; there were four
smugglers we arrested," Bates said.

"It's all been good stuff."

Despite technical glitches, Bates is working to expand the system. The plan
is still "very, very preliminary," he said. "Nothing's in the works yet."

One challenge bigger than technical tweaking, Bates said, is a lack of staff.

While the aim is for three people full-time, each eight-hour shift now is
manned by one. In addition to monitoring cameras for activity, the
individual dispatches three local police departments, provide back-up for
911 calls, and dispatch border agents to problem areas. "It's a very
difficult job," Bates said.

He attributed successes of the surveillance system so far largely to that
staff.

There's also a need for more patrol agents. An additional 40 during summer
upped Bates' contingent to 97. He's hopeful Blaine sector is slated for at
least a few of the 285 agents promised for the northern border next year.

The border patrol works with U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Customs, and Drug
Enforcement Agency, the RCMP and Canada Customs.