Department of Homeland Security
Sweetgrass , MT / Coutts, AB

ISS provides turnkey integrated security components to international border crossing.

The Coutts/Sweetgrass international border crossing, at the northern terminus of U.S. Interstate 15 (I-15) and the southern terminus of Canadian Route 4, represents a vital link between the Canadian trade markets and those of the United States and Mexico. I-15 is the fourth-longest north–south transcontinental Interstate Highway in the United States. The joint border facility opened in 2004, housing both Canadian and American federal authorities.

This border crossing is part of the CANAMEX High Priority Corridor as a result of the North American Free Trade Agreement. Since its inception in 1995, the CANAMEX Corridor has grown to become the cornerstone for the seamless and efficient transportation of goods, services, people and information between Canada, Mexico and the United States.

The Sweetgrass border crossing is the third shared facility built under the umbrella of the Canada-United States Accord (CAD) on Our Shared Border – Joint Facilities Initiative. Operating under the terms of the Accord, construction of this new shared facility is a joint endeavor between the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), which each manage the property on behalf of their country’s respective taxpayers. The $60 million CAD facility will promote international trade, provide enhanced border protection and reduce costs to both governments and the public. GSA, along with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and other federal and state agencies have partnered with the CBSA to plan, fund, design and maintain this border station. The result is this state-of-the-art facility and the security operations it houses.

Integrated Security Solutions, Inc. (ISS) was brought in to install a turnkey integrated Intrusion Detection System (IDS), Electronic Entry Control System (EECS) and a CCTV Security System.

The Challenge:
National initiatives, such as the Canada-United States Free Trade Agreement, the General Agreement of Tariffs and Trade, and the North American Free Trade Agreement are encouraging increased trade activities and efficiencies between Canada, the United States and Mexico. Although it is the expressed policy of all three countries to facilitate the growth of this trade, limited resources and staffing levels for all regulatory and enforcement agencies involved with border crossing activities challenge their ability to encourage increased trade activity.

The Solution:
Because a dramatic increase in the amount of regulatory and enforcement resources and staff is unlikely, the use of advanced computer and communication technologies to improve the efficiency of existing border crossing activities are the most suitable solution.

Installed components:
Intrusion Detection System
Access Control System
Interior and Exterior CCTV System