Coordinated targeting of unsafe imports went into full swing Monday with the signing of an agreement giving Consumer Product Safety Commission personnel full access to U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Automated Commercial System.

The memorandum of understanding gives CPSC the ability to conduct import risk safety assessments and select high-risk shipments for inspections with the help of computer program that sifts through data by comparing it to predetermined safety criteria. Last October, CBP stood up the Commercial Targeting and Analysis Center (CTAC) for Import Safety to centralize federal monitoring and analysis of imports for potential safety violations. The facility utilizes similar risk management techniques perfected by CBP at its national targeting centers for cargo and passengers.

About 30 analysts from various agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration, Environmental Protection Agency, and the Department of Agriculture's Food Safety Inspection Service, eventually are expected to operate from the center.

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