Photo By Lance Cpl. Norman Eckles | Officer Julie Felix with the Marine Corps Police Department aboard Marine Corps...... read more read more
BARSTOW, Calif. - Since 1941, military police around the country have stood post on every military installation, protecting all government assets, and making sure those requesting entry meet the requirements of the Department of Defense.
Members of the Marine Corps Police Department on Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow, Calif., uphold security procedures as they check identification cards and verify other required paperwork of individuals who are requesting entry onto the base.
The top priority of the police department is to make sure base residents and employees are safe at all times.
“I’m the first line of defense.” said police officer Alfred Coburn, with the Marine Corps Police Department, “I’m the first person people see when they come onto base so I try to be the most polite, yet firm and sturdy.”
According to Chief Darwin O’Neal, the chief of police with MCPD, the department’s mission is to take care of all government assets and property on base and make sure everyone has proper paperwork to enter the base.
When vehicles drive up to the front gate, officer Coburn along with his fellow officers, checks everyone’s identification in the vehicle. If they do not have the appropriate credentials, visitors will be sent to the Pass and I.D. office, where they will be given instructions on how to meet the requirements.
Depending on the purpose of the visit, wait times can vary for paperwork and background checks to be conducted and completed. The types of passes issued at Pass and I.D. also vary. One-day passes are issued for visitors, as well as passes for longer time periods, for contractors, for example, who have a project to complete on the installation.
“Pass and I.D. is really good with getting guests in and out of building 101,” said O’Neal, “However, some mornings it can be quite the wait because of the overflow of cars at the front gate.”
When sent to Pass and I.D. an individual will need current registration, proof of insurance, a valid driver’s license and a legitimate reason for entering the installation. “I have stood post many times since I have been here,” said Cpl. Jorge Cazares, an active member of the Security Augmentation Force, MCLB Barstow. “Every time I have stood on post, there has been at least one individual who tries to get on the installation without proper paperwork and I don’t let them. It always brings up the question ‘what if they blow up the base and I was the one who let them in?’”
In the past, officers and the SAF Marines have come across incidents that potentially could have put their lives and the lives of everyone on base in danger.
According to Coburn, there have been cases where people have tried to run through the gate without stopping. The front gate then has to call a patrolling vehicle to come and apprehend the suspect.
The police officers and SAF Marines aboard MCLB Barstow stand ready at all given hours, every day of the year, to serve and protect the base. It is through the tireless efforts of the men and women who guard this base and conduct a wide range of activities, ensuring our safety, that make MCLB Barstow one of the safest communities in the region, said O’Neal.
“I love to know that I’m protected at all times and I know that while I’m working or sleeping, the MCPD and SAF Marines are out on post making sure that the installation is safe each day,” said Cazares.
| Date Taken: | 08.23.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 08.23.2012 18:03 |
| Story ID: | 93712 |
| Location: | BARSTOW, CA, US |
| Web Views: | 80 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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