Security Forces provides overnight safety

Senior Airman Adam Mastropaolo, 95th Security Forces Squadron installation patrolman, monitors the speed of motorists on Rosamond Boulevard here July 8, 2006. Airman Mastropaolo was using a LIDAR gun that measures the vehicle's speed up to a mile away. One of the mission of 95th SFS is to provide base safety during night time. (Photo by Airman Stacy Garcia)

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Security Forces provides overnight safety

Published Dec. 13, 2006
By Airman Stacy Garcia
95th Air Base Wing Public Affairs

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Through the long 14-hour shifts, not including physical training and the 45-minute briefing before heading out for duty, making sure the Edwards community is getting a good night's sleep is the mission for several 95th Security Forces Squadron night-shift patrolman.

From the moment these individuals step foot into their cars, it's all about business. From simple calls such as a stalled vehicle to more drastic calls where a situation could be hostile, each officer takes every precaution and thinks of every scenario before arriving on scene.

"With what these guys do, each one of these men is always placed in harm's way each night," said Master Sgt. Gary Smart, 95th SFS flight sergeant. "In our job we have an area of responsibly, and my guys sweat and work to make sure the job gets done."

The night shift has to deal with the afternoon traffic, people trying to get home and the occasional incidents that happen on Friday and Saturday evenings.

"Seeing the fulfillment of a DUI [driving under the influence] taken off the road would have to be the best part of my job," said Staff Sgt. Jonathan Baker, 95th SFS installation patrol. "We have to make sure no innocent bystander is harmed."

The busiest times for the 95th SFS are the holidays and deployments, Sergeant Smart said. Things tend to change in a deployment household. Families are just trying to get back in the routine of being at home or adjusting to a loved one being gone, which can sometimes be difficult.

Finding time to balance their job, physical training, training exercises and other necessities of the job, makes it difficult for these individuals to have time for themselves. Even making it to a routine military appointment can have its difficulties.

"We have a constant job," Sergeant Smart said. "It's not that easy for us to get to the appointments we need to go to sometimes due to the fact that we carry weapons. We are actually limited as to where we can go."

To carry those weapons each security forces member must go through rigorous training but nothing can prepare them for the real live scenarios, he said. Preparing physically and mentally is critical.

"Mental preparation is key," Sergeant Baker said. "In our job each call is completely different. We always have to be thinking about the 'what if' scenarios so that when we arrive we have thought everything through."

Edwards is a great place to work as a 95th SFS patrolman because of the minimum crime rate here, said Sergeant Baker.

A factor that patrolmen do have to worry about at Edwards is dealing with the large civilian population who works on base, said Sergeant Baker. "The way we deal with the civilian population is very different, as far as rules and regulations go, since they do not fall under the [Uniform Code of Military Justice]."

Whether kids are playing around an abandoned housing, doing something wrong, or putting themselves or someone else in danger, Team Edwards can probably find a member of the 95th SFS not too far behind.