Welcome to Camp Pendleton: Provost Marshal’s Office

Photo By Sgt. Andrew Cortez | Officer Samuel Reynoso, with the Provost Marshal’s Office, Security and Emergency Services Battalion, Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, fills out a safety vehicle checklist prior to starting his shift at the SES Bn. building on Camp Pendleton, California, Aug. 22, 2019. Marines and civilian officers have been working together since 2005 on Camp Pendleton. The Marine Corps Law Enforcement Program was put into place so civilian police officers could protect the base while Marines were deployed. (U.S Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Andrew Cortez)  

CAMP PENDLETON, CA, UNITED STATES

11.15.2019

Story by Lance Cpl. Andrew Cortez 

Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton

Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton is home to many brave men and women who dedicate their lives to fight our nation's battles. While they are training and fighting abroad, service members and their families who reside on base need to feel safe. Camp Pendleton’s Provost Marshal's Office is one of the primary organizations working to provide a safe environment on Camp Pendleton.

“We share a lot of similarities with a with a civilian police department in a town or municipality,” said U.S. Marine Lt. Col. Bryce Carter, the provost marshal with PMO, Security and Emergency Services Battalion, MCB Camp Pendleton. “We have a lot of the same responsibilities and we handle a lot of the same types of calls.”

Composed of approximately 300 Marines and civilians, large portion of PMO’s daily operations includes street patrols, guarding the installation’s gates and responding to emergency calls, but there are also smaller, dedicated sections with specialized mission sets.

The Special Reaction Team is on 24-hour call for more severe situations that can occur on base. These situations can range from barricaded combatants to homicides.

The K-9 section is responsible for housing and training military working dogs. The dogs and their handlers are capable of drug detection, suspect apprehension and explosive detection. Military working dog teams can also deploy alongside other units for extra protection and explosive detection in combat environments.

All of these functions combine to allow Camp Pendleton service members and families to have peace of mind to go about their daily errands and not have to worry about their security.

"When a Marine or sailor has to deploy on a MEU to a foreign country, they can be reassured that we are here protecting their families and the base to make sure nothing happens," said Officer Samuel Reynoso, a civilian officer with PMO. "Approximately 70,000 people come onto base every day so it's very important that we safeguard everyone who lives here."

Working alongside Marine MPs are civilian law enforcement officers. With the increased deployment tempo of the last two decades, the civilian officers were brought in to bolster security efforts as Marine MPs deployed. The Marine Corps Law Enforcement Program was designed to provide both basic and advanced law enforcement training to Marine Corps civilian and military police officers. This program went into full effect in 2007, increasing the security and police services aboard installations with professional civilian police officers.

"The decision was made to civilianize [PMO] to free up more Marine Corps military policeman so they could forward deploy and support our primary missions" said Carter.

While on duty, Marines and officers try to make themselves and the installation a harder target for adversaries. Random anti-terrorism measures are mainly used at the gates where explosive and drug detection dogs will be utilized. These are used to catch people trying to smuggle drugs or weapons into the base.

"Just like a Marine that's deployed, you have soft targets and hard targets," said Staff Sgt. Drew Adams, the assistant operations chief with PMO. "The RAMS are supposed to make us a harder target. We don't just have RAMS at the gate, we also have different checkpoints on base."

At random times of the day they will set up random checkpoints around the base to make sure everyone is safe and laws are being enforced. They check to see if registrations are up-to-date and ensure people aren't driving under the influence of alcohol.

"We see the installation at its best and we see it at its worst," said Adams. "We are always going to have Marines here 24/7, and if you do need help, we are here to help you."

• Date Taken: 11.15.2019
• Date Posted: 11.15.2019 17:13
• Story ID: 351984
• Location: CAMP PENDLETON, CA, US