Senator urges more JFK customs inspectors

NEW YORK (CNN) -- U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-New York, said that customs officials should hire more inspectors at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport.

Cargo inspections at JFK have dropped 40 percent from their peak two years ago, Schumer said at a news conference Sunday. He urged the U.S. Customs Service to investigate and hire more inspectors.

"The fact that cargo inspections at JFK are down since September 11 defies common sense," he said. "Customs should be inspecting more cargo since September 11, not less.

"Customs is the first line of defense in preventing terrorists from smuggling in radioactive, chemical or biological materials, and cutting their resources means placing ourselves at risk."

Schumer said cargo inspections were down 20 percent in the first half of the year compared with the first half of 2001 and down 40 percent from the first half of 2000.

The senator blamed an increased focus on passenger processing, resulting in fewer customs inspectors.

Two inspectors joined Schumer at the press conference in his office.

"My colleagues and I have been working extremely hard to do our job and ensure the safety of this city," said Bob Kulaya, one of the inspectors.

"But the only way for us to do our job as well as possible is to at least have the staffing levels we had a few years ago."

Dennis Murphy, a U.S. Customs spokesman, acknowledged that the number of inspectors is down since September 11 but said it was the result of the department's focus on fighting terrorism.

Soon after the attacks, inspectors were pulled from various U.S. airports to augment staffing at the border with Canada, Murphy said.

"Our immediate response was the northern border, and we did pull a lot of inspectors to do that," he said.

But since then, he said, the department has received additional funding to hire more inspectors and expects to resolve the issue soon.