OSI on the case

JBPHH, HI, UNITED STATES

01.10.2020

Story by Airman 1st Class Erin Baxter 

15th Wing

JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii—The number of different units on base can seem countless, especially in a joint base environment. There are so many people who have different jobs and lives, working together to form one military machine.
The Air Force Office of Special Investigations, Detachment 601 on Hickam Field, is unique among the Joint Base and other OSI units across the Air Force.
Det. 601 OSI agents work closely with local Hawaiian law enforcement by Det. 601 partnering with the local High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area.
Only certain units are designated for this interaction when Congress recognizes a drug epidemic in that region.
To this day, OSI Det. 601 works closely with local HIDTA to remove various illegal substances from the area, such as cocaine, crystal methamphetamine, opioids, and cannabis.
“We catch criminals,” Huerta said. “At the end of the day, we’re taking those people off of the streets, and making the base safer by removing those negative impacts.”
Not only that, but also working closely with specials agents in the Naval Criminal Investigative Services and Army Criminal Investigation Command and Military Intelligence.
Fostering these connections helps them further exploit criminal intelligence or cyber threats and ensure the whole island keeps up to date on any potential danger.
Squadron leaders will come to OSI agents with areas of concern, such as drug use or sexual assault. They are the middle-men for investigations that happen on base, and then they distribute their findings to the leadership it pertains to.
“A lot of people are afraid to talk to us because they assume we’re here to get them into trouble, but that’s not the case,” said AFOSI Special Agent John Huerta, Det. 601. “We are unbiased. We prefer people don’t get into trouble, but it happens.”
An OSI agent’s day-to-day mission may vary from interrogating potential suspects, conducting fraud investigations, questioning bystanders who may have information, providing counter-intelligence support, or conducting security detail on the flightline for distinguished visitors, emphasized AFOSI Special Agent Joel Cook, Detachment 601, who was the winner of the Hawaii State Law Enforcement Officials Association 2019 Military Officer of the Year award.
For more information on AFOSI you can visit https://www.osi.af.mil.

• Date Taken: 01.10.2020
• Date Posted: 01.10.2020 14:43
• Story ID: 358749
• Location: JBPHH, HI, US