Guarding gates a 'huge responsibility' Published July 31, 2009 By Wayne Crenshaw 78th Air Base Wing Public Affairs ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. -- One group of people at Robins makes daily contact with everyone who works here. They are the men and women who guard the entry points to the base. Checking one identification card after another might seem to some like a tedious job, but not to the guards. They understand the gravity of their assignment. "Just hands-on touching that ID card and confirming that the person who is attempting to gain access is supposed to be here is a huge responsibility because we are responsible for making sure nothing goes 'boom' on Robins Air Force Base. Those guys are the first line of defense," said Master Sgt. Samel Brown, the NCO in charge of security forces operations. Monday through Friday, the gates are guarded by 31 Department of Defense civilians, 17 Air Reserve Command volunteers, and varying numbers of 78th Security Forces Squadron personnel who rotate patrol duty. On the weekends, the gate duty falls solely to Security Forces. The civilian personnel have the same authority as Security Forces, said Senior Master Sgt. Keith Davis, the operations superintendent. They can deny access, search vehicles and detain people, if necessary. He said all gate guards do a good job of getting thousands of cars into the base every day while making sure all are supposed to be here. "The job we do every day is no small feat," Sergeant Davis said. "It takes alertness 100 percent of the time. You can't let your guard down at all. That's usually when something happens." The guards regularly contend with various problems, including people trying to get on base without proper ID. Often, it's people who just want to look at the planes and don't know they aren't allowed on base. One of the most common problems, however, is people who have forgotten their common access card. They don't always understand why guards won't take their word that they have base access. "Even though we see you every day, we don't know the status of those folks," said Sanders Harris, supervisor of security guards. "The card could have been confiscated." For the absent-minded who are prone to leaving their cards in their computer, you don't have to bug co-workers to bring you the card, Sergeant Davis said. All you have to do is go to the Visitor's Center, present your ID, and they can confirm your status and give you a temporary pass to get on base. Some security changes are in the works, starting with new uniforms for the DOD guards. They are getting blue uniforms that are similar to uniforms traditionally worn by city police officers. It's a small first step in what will eventually be a major shift for the Air Force in base security. On Oct. 1, the civilian security force will change its name from Department of Defense Police to Department of the Air Force Security Guards/Police. Although initially the only changes will be the name and uniforms, the major change expected is that the civilian guards will eventually take over patrol of bases. Right now they only work the gates. That will free up Security Forces for deployment duties, said Mr. Harris. Exactly when that change might happen has not been determined, but Mr. Harris said the civilian guards are looking forward to it. "They are excited because it will give them the opportunity to perform more duties," he said.