Photo By Terrance Bell | Department of the Army Security Guard Mark Helber checks the identification of a...... read more read more
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FORT LEE, Va. - Fort Lee is slated to operate under new gate security measures beginning in April.
The measures, directed by the Department of the Army, fulfill more stringent regulatory requirements to vet non-Department of Defense identification cardholders prior to entering the installation. Current policies require only a state driver's license or a state identification card to gain entrance.
"The new policy requires us to perform a criminal background check for those who have not been appropriately vetted," said Tony DeWitt, director of the Emergency Services division here.
The measures will not hinder installation access by DOD ID cardholders and those who regularly visit the installation such as volunteers and some contract workers, DeWitt said.
Under the new security requirements, Fort Lee has plans to build a Visitor Control Center that will house several National Crime Information Center terminals to generate the criminal background checks, DeWitt said.
Construction for the facility is scheduled to begin sometime in fiscal 2016.
Until the permanent facility is complete, the Lee Avenue and Sisisky Boulevard gates will handle VCC operations. The Lee gate is scheduled to begin VCC operations April 15. It will open from 6 a.m. - 8 p.m., Monday-Friday. The Sisisky gate VCC also is scheduled to come online in April. Its hours will be 8 p.m. - 6 a.m. on weekdays. Sisisky Gate itself serves as the installation's main gate and is always open to include weekends and holidays.
The VCC operation at the Lee gate will operate in a way that is similar to the current traffic configuration there, which was recently implemented due to unrelated construction projects at the Sisisky gate. It consists of three lanes of traffic - two that lead directly to the guard shacks - and one that loops in front of the Welcome Center facility. Non-DOD ID cardholders will use the third lane and that facility's parking area to check in and receive their background checks.
The traffic configuration at the Sisisky gate also will be modified. Details on those changes are still forthcoming, but the impact of VCC operations there is likely to be minimal compared to the Lee gate.
"We hope that our regular ID cardholders come through Sisisky gate during the duty day," DeWitt said. "It can better deal with the volume compared to the Lee gate."
Once motorists clear the NCIC checks, they will be issued temporary passes.Those who are flagged will be denied access or apprehended if there are outstanding warrants.
At either of the gates, the checks are expected to be short in duration, DeWitt said.
"Once we have your ID card, we can have you in and out with a temporary pass within 10 minutes max," he said. It may take a little longer if there is a line, he added.
DeWitt said efforts are also underway to starting running background checks on non-DOD cardholders who currently work on post before the new measures go into effect. Those workers will be issued long-term access passes, provided they have a clear background check.
"By vetting those contractors, subcontractors and others who aren't eligible for a CAC in advance, we will be able to reduce the initial traffic volume at the VCC when it opens," DeWitt said.
In terms of volume, DeWitt said there is no data yet on how many non-DOD ID cardholder motorists enter the installation every day, but that will change soon.
"For two-week periods over the next three months, we'll be conducting 100-percent ID checks on everyone entering the installation to assess that number," he said. The Trusted Traveler program, which allows for certain DOD ID cardholders to vouch for passengers in their vehicle, will be temporarily suspended during these times.
DES is currently engaged in an effort to inform all motorists about the pending changes. DeWitt said it is important for everyone to understand that increased security has a price.
"We will be safer," he said of the new policies. "We can rest assured that those who desire to enter Fort Lee are not those who may jeopardize the safety and security of those who live and work here."
NCIC was designed to complement efforts to apprehend fugitives, locate missing persons, recover stolen property and identify terrorists.
Other installations across the Army have already implemented the use of the NCIS database. At Fort Campbell, Ky., for example, 344 people were denied entry for various drug crimes and 36 were turned away for sex offenses in the last quarter of fiscal 2014.
DeWitt added that while derogatory information discovered during background checks can lead to denial of post access, those people are entitled to file an appeal to preserve their access privilege.
"Appeals will be addressed on a case-by-case basis," he said.
More details on the background checks and appeals process are forthcoming and will be addressed in an upcoming Traveller issue.
For more information, call the Provost Marshal Office Physical Security Branch at 804-734-7438.
| Date Taken: | 01.29.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 01.29.2015 08:19 |
| Story ID: | 153005 |
| Location: | FORT LEE, VA, US |
| Web Views: | 116 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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