United States and Canada Act Jointly to Combat Cross-Border Crime

Release Date: May 26, 2009

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
Contact: 202-282-8010

Framework Agreement on Integrated Cross-Border
Maritime Law Enforcement Operations between the
U.S. and Canadian Governments (Shiprider Agreement)
(PDF, 17 pages - 56 KB)

Detroit—The Honorable Janet Napolitano, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, and the Honorable Peter Van Loan, Canadian Minister of Public Safety, toured port operations today on both sides of the shared United States/Canada border and signed an agreement to make Shiprider—joint law enforcement teams stationed along the international maritime border—permanent.

“The Shiprider concept involves law enforcement officials from both countries operating together in integrated teams. Utilizing Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and U.S. Coast Guard vessels, they combat smuggling, organized drug crime, gun trade and other criminal activity in shared waterways,â€