City native recruits for U.S.-Mexico border patrol
Sunday, August 17, 2008
By Jerome L. Sherman, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
During Senior U.S. Border Patrol Agent Shawn Cordell's seven years guarding the U.S.-Mexican border near San Diego, the Mount Washington native would carry a shotgun and an M16 rifle in his truck and an H&K .40-caliber pistol in his holster.

But, when he encountered drug smugglers or illegal immigrants, his most effective tool was his intimidating baritone voice.

"It's all about command presence," Agent Cordell, clad in his forest green uniform, said yesterday at the Marriott City Center, Downtown. "I have the luxury of using a very deep voice."

He was back in his hometown as part of a nationwide recruiting drive for the border patrol, which, under the Bush administration, has expanded from 9,000 agents in 2001 to more than 16,850 agents today, according to whitehouse.gov. It is the largest law enforcement agency in the world.

The administration has a goal of fielding 18,000 agents by the end of this year.

Since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the border patrol has increased its emphasis on preventing would-be terrorists from crossing into the country. The agency also has tried to stem drug trafficking and a tide of undocumented immigration.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which includes the border patrol, last year saw a 20 percent reduction in the number of undocumented immigrants crossing the southern border into the United States.

Agent Cordell, 34, is now stationed at the northern border near Canaan, Vt. But he is also part of a team of agents traveling throughout states in the nation's interior, previously untapped recruiting grounds for the border patrol.

The response has been overwhelming.

The agency receives about 5,000 applications per week, said spokeswoman Tara Dunlop. Only about one in every 30 applicants becomes an agent, after successfully navigating an examination, interview, medical and criminal background checks, a 55-day stint at the training academy in Artesia, N.M., and a 40-day Spanish immersion program.

All agents must become proficient in Spanish.

About 100 people signed up for yesterday's information session in Pittsburgh, but only 31 showed up. Last year, a recruiting event attracted a sizeable crowd, and 224 people eventually took the border patrol exam in Pittsburgh.

Similar recent events in Buffalo and Detroit have attracted several hundred people.

Ms. Dunlop encouraged anyone interested in applying to visit the agency's Web site: borderpatrol.gov. Applicants must be U.S. citizens between the ages of 18 and 39.

Testing will be offered at 8:30 a.m. Aug. 30, Sept. 15 and Sept. 24 at the William S. Moorhead Federal Building, Downtown.

"I don't really want to be in Robinson Township my whole life," said one applicant, Dean Vietmeier, 22, who in May graduated from Slippery Rock University, where he studied criminal justice and political science. He is now working for his uncle's landscaping company.

Another uncle is Robinson police Chief Dale Vietmeier, and the younger Mr. Vietmeier recently worked as an intern for the department. But he's anxious to explore other parts of the country.

All border patrol recruits initially serve in the southwestern Untied States: southern California, Arizona, New Mexico or Texas. They must cover their moving expenses.

Recruits can earn from $36,000 to $46,000 in their first year. After three years of service, an agent's salary can reach $70,000.

Jerome L. Sherman can be reached at jsherman@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1183.


http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08230/904956-53.stm