Under an agreement between Canada and the United States, U.S. Coast Guard officers are riding on patrol boats flying the Canadian flag, while Canadians have joined U.S. crews plying the waters of the Pacific Northwest.

 

The operation, known as "Shiprider," is a natural extension of a unique bi-national security effort to secure the Olympic Games and is one that could extend after the Games are over, says a USA Today report. The report says that the Canadian Parliament is considering legislation that could make the program a permanent part of the border enforcement effort.

 

 

Since the program began, there have been just four arrests, one a Canadian fugitive arrested in Canadian waters by a U.S. Coast Guard crew that included an RCMP officer.