CBSA Vehicles

[OnTalyn]

Here's some rebranded Customs (CCRA) to Border Services (CBSA) vehicles. Note the Canada Wordmark is front and center for those who worried.

[u2Coop]

On a side not, maybe it's just my weird sense of humour but whenever I see van's being used for regular enforcement duties -read Montreal Police-I always have visions of it roaring up and a bunch of soccer mom's jumping out.......

These are the thoughts that kept me out of the really really good schools.

[OnTalyn]

Keep in mind the vans are at the Airport and handy for staff movement or lugging around lots of stuff. The Impalas have cages so staff transport can be tight.

It's always fun to see larger officers getting a lift in the back.

[Campus-Cst]

Without running the risk of sounding like Wayne or Munlaw.. why don't these vehicles have red lights?

[OnTalyn]

That's right, Amber and Blue are required for Airport operations the Reds are in between and on the grill.

[Jonny Utah]

To bad it will be at least five years on the line before I will ever even get to think about being allowed to sit in one of these! Good looking cars. Nice to see CBSA raising the profile of the agency.

I presume they are for ICET only?

J.

[Respond Wayne]

Naw they are used for coffee runs... I them at Tim's drive thru's all the time!

I occasionally see the plain blue minivans (with the mini amber / blue lightbars), some of them are in pretty rough shape!

[OnTalyn]

Yeah those plain blue one are beat up. They all belong to commercial operations.

The marked ones are all ICET or DART(Disembarkation and Roving Team, - former Immigration).

[Actus Reus]

There is a wide variety of vehicles in the CBSA 'fleet', including boats, snowmobiles and assorted truck-based mobile examination equipment.

Aside from this, in Southern Ontario (which is typical of the rest of Canada), we have:

(1) fully marked 4x4's and sedans (generally CVPI's and Impalas), equipped with police-standard lightbars. These are for use at land borders, generally to respond to DUI's encountered at Primary;

(2) fully marked 4x4's and sedans, equipped with airport-regulation lightbars for use at international airports by the ICET, DART and other units. These sometimes are equipped with discreet dash or grill-mounted red-light LED's, although we are not technically authorized under the HTA to use them on public hightways.

(3) unmarked cage cars, sometimes equipped with red-light 'Kojak' bubbles, for use mainly by Immigration Enforcement. Again, we fall outside of the HTA but still use the red lights on occasion.

(4) unmarked SUV's, for use by our K9 officers.

(5) a wide array of unmarked sedans, vans, SUV's and 4x4's for covert surveillance duties. We try not to use anything that looks like a police vehicle (eg. lumina, Impala, etc.) for obvious reasons.

[OnTalyn]

[quote="Respond Wayne"]Naw they are used for coffee runs... I them at Tim's drive thru's all the time!

quote]

Wayne,

I'm new here but what has you hanging at Airport Rd. Timmies?

I know the exact one you speak of, and recall seeing a few Peel and RCMP cars there as well...

Actus,

Don't forget the K-9's almost all have Bubbles or discrete lights as well. While not technically HTA as you say, they are used for warants and such.
I don't think we've had any problems using them, and so far no yahoo's either!

[Mr-C]

Something I'm wondering... are these a national design, or something the local region/district came up with?

(I work over in CBSA HQ*, in Ottawa with the big meterologist boss, and remember that the corporate communications people were pretty clear that the new shoulder flash was approved only for use on uniforms and not for other things (vehicles was an example.) I personally think the cars look pretty good, it just bugs me if we can't come up with some kind of national identity as a law enforcement agency. For example pac might come up with a completely different design.) Approved design seems to be the boring Canada flag with the name of the agency on the door, with no lights (??)

In other news, last time I crossed a land border in Ontario I was greeted by a "Revenue Canada Customs and Excise" sign... about a year ago. So it's good to see some things are being updated.

~
* disclaimer: non-operational role, had an interest in LE since young age but had to abandon it due to eyesight/colour vision

[Actus Reus]

I was a rep on the National CBSA Corporate Identity Working Group, and I can tell you that there is a corporate communications strategy which inlcudes such things as a stadardized design for vehicle markings, building signs, uniforms and other graphics.

I won't go into all the gory details, but there was a lot of disagreement among the various constituent groups over all kinds of issues (such as whether the Crown should be put back into the design, and how much focus should be on 'enforcement'.) In the end, what was presented to senior management can charitably be described as the best a cross-Canada committee made up of 3 legacy departments could come up with. That having been said, it's not all as bad as it could have been.

I think that gradually, as the money starts to be spent by Ottawa, that things will sort themselves out. In the meantime, there might be some fine-tuning to reflect our increased emphasis on 'policing'.

[Chewie]

I work over in CBSA HQ*, in Ottawa with the big meteorologist boss

Thanks, that had to be mentioned. Better you than me!

In the meantime, there might be some fine-tuning to reflect our increased emphasis on 'policing'.

I'd like to think that an emphasis on our enforcement mandate can be made clear without ever having to use the P-word.

[Respond Wayne]

Wayne,

I'm new here but what has you hanging at Airport Rd. Timmies?

I know the exact one you speak of, and recall seeing a few Peel and RCMP cars there as well...

I work just outside the Airport (Renforth & Convair) at Avis HQ... GTAA actually services our property.

[Punisher-One]

Amber lights!