Stuff To Know Flashcards
What are the 5 fundamental sources of coast guard authority?
- Maritime Law Enforcement
- Customs
- PWCS, including LE ashore
- Assistance
- CGIS
What law established the coast guard?
14 USC 101
14 USC 101
Established the coast guard on January 28, 1915, shall be a military service and a branch of the armed forces at all times
What law gave the coast guard their primary duties?
14 USC 102
14 USC 102
The coast guard shall enforce or assist in the enforcement of all applicable federal laws on, under, and over the high seas and waters subject to the jurisdiction of the United States
What law established what department the coast guard operates under?
14 USC 103
14 USC 103
The coast guard shall be a service in the Department of Homeland Security, except when operating as a service in the Navy
What law authorized the coast guard to save life and property?
14 USC 521
14 USC 521
In order to render aid to distressed individuals, vessels, and aircraft on and under the high seas and on and under the waters over which the United States has jurisdiction and in order to render aid to individuals and property imperiled by flood
What law gives the coast guard its maritime law enforcement authority?
14 USC 522 (a)
14 USC 522 (a)
The coast guard may make inquiries, examinations, inspections, searches, seizures, and arrests upon the high seas and waters over which the United States has jurisdiction, for the prevention, detection, and suppression of violations of laws of the United States. For such purposes, commissioned, warrant, and petty officers may at any time go onboard of any vessel subject to the jurisdiction or to the operation of any law of the United States, address inquiries to those onboard, examine the ship’s documents and papers, and examine, inspect, and search the vessel, and use all necessary force to compel compliance.
What is authority?
The government’s legal power to act
What law gives the coast guard its enforcement authority?
14 USC 523
14 USC 523
Members of the coast guard, in the performance of their official duties may:
- Carry a firearm
- While at a facility make and arrest without warrant for any offense against the U.S. committed in their presence
- Seize property as otherwise provided by law
What law gives the coast guard customs authority?
14 USC 703 pursuant to 19 USC 1401 (i)
14 USC 703
Commissioned, warrant, and petty officers of the coast guard are deemed to be customs officers
What law gives enforcement authority to customs officers?
19 USC 1589 (a)
19 USC 1589 (a)
Gives customs officers the enforcement authority to:
- Carry a firearm
- Execute and serve any order, warrant, subpoena, summons, or other process issued under the authority of the United States
- Make an arrest without a warrant for any offense against the United States committed in the officer’s presence or for a felony, cognizable under the laws of the United States committed outside of the officers presence if the officer has reasonable grounds to believe that the person to be arrested has committed or is committing a felony
- Perform any other law enforcement duty that the Secretary of the Treasury may designate
What are the limitations of the coast guard customs authority?
CG personnel are bound by the same rules and regulations as other customs officers, which may in some cases actually limit the coast guards action
What additional customs authority is there?
- Conduct customs border searches
- Carry firearms and make warrantless arrests ashore
- Obtain the assistance of any person, including private entities, in making any arrest, search, or seizure authorized by any law enforced
What law gives the coast guard its assistance authority?
14 USC 701
14 USC 701
Federal, local, state, and tribal authorities can request assistance if qualified
- Controlled by federal law
- Request must be within bounds of their legal authority/policy
What are the requirements for assistance authority?
- The head of the agency concerned must consent
- It must be for personal services, advice, information, or use of facilities
- The requested assistance must be helpful in the performance of the coast guards duties
What provides COPT authority?
33 CFR 6
What authority is provided to the COPT under 33 CFR 6?
- Place guards and remove people
- Issue orders
- Inspect and search vehicles
- Establish security zones
What is jurisdiction?
The government’s power to exercise legal authority over its persons, vessels, and territory
What are the elements of jurisdiction?
- Vessel flag/status
- Location
- Substantive law
What is a substantive law?
A law that prohibits a certain action or requires affirmative conduct
What are the jurisdictional exceptions?
- Transit passage
- Innocent passage
- Assistance entry
- Peace of the port
- Force majeure
- Constructive presence
- Hot pursuit
- Flag state authorization
What is transit passage?
The right of non-interference for a vessel transiting through a foreign territorial sea that comprises an international strait used for navigating between areas of international waters
What is innocent passage?
The right of non-interference for a vessel transiting inbound, outbound, or through a foreign territorial sea
What is assistance entry?
The right of non-interference for a vessel to enter a foreign territorial sea to conduct a bona fide rescue of those in danger or distress at sea
What is peace of the port?
The US may choose to refrain from asserting its jurisdiction over foreign flag vessels in its territorial sea and internal waters, leaving control of the matter to the flag state
What is force majeure?
A vessel forced into coastal state waters by virtue of distress, weather brought about by natural or man made causes. Is generally not subject to coastal state jurisdiction during a reasonable period of time necessary to remedy such distress
What is constructive presence?
Mothership outside of jurisdiction sends, and communicates with vessels inside of jurisdiction that violates laws
What is hot pursuit?
Allows a coastal state to preserve its jurisdiction to take LE action against a foreign flag vessel that flees beyond normal jurisdictional limits after it has committed a violation of the coastal states law
What are the jurisdictional special circumstances?
- Right of approach
- Right of visit
- Consensual boarding
- SNO
What is right of approach?
Under international law, the right of warships and other duly authorized vessels or military aircraft in international waters to approach any vessel in international waters and to verify its nationality through questioning
What is right of visit?
Under international law, the right of warships and other duly authorized vessels or military aircraft in international waters to board a vessel of unknown nationality in order to determine its nationality, or to board any vessel suspected of engaging in piracy, slave trade, or unauthorized broadcasting (universal crimes)
What is a consensual boarding?
When the master or person in charge of a foreign flag vessel on the high seas or other waters not within coastal state jurisdiction consents to the boarding of their vessel regardless of whether the coast guard has jurisdiction to board
What SNO is required to conduct a consensual boarding?
Flag or commandant (CG-DCO)
What are the requirements for pursuit ashore?
- BO has probable cause to believe that the person is committing or has committed a federal felony rendering that person subject to arrest
- The person flees ashore from CG pursuit
- CG assistance requested where shoreside LE personnel not present
- The BO is accompanied by another BO or BTM
- Must be started immediately, maintained continuously, and completed promptly
What are the actions of pursuit ashore?
- Pursue the suspect ashore on foot
- Immediately notify TACON
- Detain the person fleeing ashore for shoreside LE authorities
What are the restrictions for pursuit ashore?
The pursuit should not extend further from the shoreline than is reasonably necessary to affect an arrest
What are exigent circumstances? (Pursuit ashore)
- In the boarding officers presence, a person is committing or has committed an unlawful act involving the use of force, or a threat of use of force, that is likely to cause death or serious physical injury
- Shoreside LE personnel are not present
33 CFR 80.1395 (13 District section)
The 72 COLREGS shall apply on all waters of the puget sound and adjacent waters including lake Washington, lake Union, hood canal, and all tributaries
What is a boarding?
An armed intervention aboard a vessel to prevent, detect, and/or suppress violations of federal laws, international conventions, or treaties
Participation of non-coast guard personnel from OGAs during a boarding
They may participate in a CG boarding , if the CG is designated by the lead agency for a boarding, the CG BO is in charge, and all non-CG personnel must agree in advance to following their direction. If another agency is designated as the lead agency of the boarding, CG boarding team may assist/continue with the boarding, but still comply with the CG UOF policy
What determines the size of the boarding team?
- Chapter 3 of the MLEM
2. Vessel size
A vessel less than ___ gross tons requires a minimum of 2 qualified armed LE personnel
300
A vessel greater than 300 gross tons requires a minimum of ___ qualified armed LE personnel
6
Required boarding equipment
- Body armor
- LE belt
- Keepers (4)
- PDW (one 12 round magazine loaded)
- Two 12 round magazines
- Handcuffs
- Baton (15-22” expandable)
- OC pepper spray
- Boarding kit
What is in the BO kit?
- Alco sensor
- Ear pro
- N95 mask
- NARCAN
- Digital camera/extra memory card
- NIK Kit
- Flex cuffs
- Inspection mirror
- Flashlight/batteries
- Gloves
- Tape measure
- Multi tool
- BOJAK
- Whistles
- PRD
- 4-gas analyzer
- Metal binder
- 4100 form
- FST sheets
- SVDB sheets
- SF-95 sheets
- Evidence/Property bags
- Evidence tags
What does the 4 gas analyzer detect?
- O2 deficiency <19.5%->22%
- Flammable vapor 10% of LEL
- Hydrogen Sulfide
- Carbon monoxide
What are the SMAC limits of the PRD?
- 4500 microrem/hr
2. 20 neutron count per second
Where are pre boarding questions found?
BOJAK Section K-6
What is the purpose of pre boarding questions?
To obtain specific LE Information and to enhance the safety of the boarding team personnel
What are the pre boarding questions?
- Name of vessel
- Flag of vessel
- Length of vessel
- Purpose of voyage
- Last port of call
- Next port of call
- Master/operator name
- Master/operator DOB
- Master/operator citizenship
- Number of POB
- Whether there are any weapons onboard
What is NTC?
DHS National Targeting Center
When are NTC checks required?
- Required during boardings when possible
2. Typically during SVSB boardings