[Chicago Slices raw: U.S. customs agent]

This is raw footage for "Chicago Slices," a television series about life in Chicago. This video features Jack Ladd, a U.S. Customs Agent, who shares his job experiences and anecdotes regarding U.S. Customs Patrol.

00:00Copy video clip URL Ladd advises that people be honest and declare all that they have when entering the country because if they are not, then they will likely be fined and investigated further. He says that a number of reasons may cause someone to be questioned.

02:45Copy video clip URL Ladd says that they have confiscated illegal ivory, explaining that the only place in the U.S. you can import it is in Guam. He also talks about how women sometimes wear the fur of an endangered species, trying to get under the radar. He says that there is some embarrassment about searching through people’s stuff, and that the embarrassment is contagious.

04:55Copy video clip URL Ladd says that people make bags out of cocaine, explaining that they mix the cocaine with another substance to produce the bag. He points out how amazing it is that they develop such means to get contraband into the country. He goes on to say that as soon as Customs catches one way of doing it, the smugglers change to another method.

06:50Copy video clip URL Ladd says that monitoring all items coming in to the U.S. is a very big job, and that he thinks they do an excellent job, noting that they have seized more cocaine than any other federal agency in the past year. He again notes the professionalism shown by customs agents.

09:35Copy video clip URL Ladd talks about Unlimited Warehouse, which is the business that runs the container station. He further explains the examination process, going into his role as intensive examiner. He says that there simply are not enough staff to thoroughly investigate everything.

14:03Copy video clip URL Ladd speaks about the challenge of keeping up morale. He says that when they find something out that has gotten through, they get very upset, and rather than losing morale, they get even more intense in their vigilance.

15:50Copy video clip URL When asked about his hobbies, he says that he’s involved in martial arts, which is a good stress release and way to stay in shape, and a way to meet goals and meet people. He goes on to talk about his children, as well.

18:18Copy video clip URL They talk about the physical labor of the job. Ladd notes how he has to do piece counts of containers, checking tariff numbers, and investigating any signs of concealment or other suspicious activity. He goes on to talk about his experience as a gymnast and goes back to talk about how his training in martial arts is useful in his work.

21:42Copy video clip URL Shot of the loading dock followed by a walk through the warehouse. Ladd tells some funny stories about how people have tried to smuggle items and some of the ways that they give themselves away by their responses to questioning. He talks about some of the creative methods of packaging drugs that helps them find items, as well. This is followed by some shots of the warehouse from a forklift.

28:25Copy video clip URL End of tape.