NEW CUMBERLAND, Pa. –
Early in the morning of March 5, before most employees were arriving, Defense Logistics Agency Installation Management Susquehanna Police and Antiterrorism personnel were meeting in the lobby of building 430. Their briefing and exercise for the day was to conduct a random security checkpoint searching for contraband as part of Department of Defense required training activities aboard any DoD facility.
“Everything in life is a perishable skill,” said Timothy Moore, Antiterrorism Officer. The exercise was not only a training and observational study point for DLA staff assigned to accomplishing these required training tasks, but also for the security officers onboard the installation.
In addition to the actual training to meet whatever force protection measures are necessary it also gives the security forces some face time with the people working in the building. All too often the only interaction most people working in building 430 will have with installation police officers is as they drive in through the main gate. This gives the officers some hands on training time in not only executing the necessary force protection measures, but also in how to effectively communicate and process tasks at hand. Not every DLA employee is eager to be compliant with an impromptu checkpoint, especially one early in the morning and sometimes before that first cup of coffee.
The random and sporadic nature of these exercises is also a requirement that serves multiple purposes. It is training not only for the security forces involved, but also for the workers that have their daily routine impacted. It acts as a reminder of the secure and sensitive nature of the work conducted on the installation and the steps personnel on the installation must be willing to take in order to conduct those operations.
These exercises are also installation commander authorized, meaning that no one is above the reach or requirement for a bag search. Even DLA Distribution Acting Deputy Commander Perry Knight, was not above emptying his pockets and opening his bag to show officers and staff his two lunches he packed for the day. While some employees may have expressed mild annoyance about the efforts of the day, Knight lead by example with the “adapt and overcome” model taking the time to chat with anyone within earshot.
DLA Installation Management Police Captain Steven Schorkhuber, officer in charge, highlighted a less obvious reason for the exercise, “Making ourselves visible increases the awareness of our presence, and awareness equals deterrence.” The deterrence serves as a reminder and notice to anyone that contraband is not allowed, and reinforces the “see something, say something” mantra posted across the installation.
Should anything under the label of contraband, such as fixed blade knives, guns or drugs, be found it would be confiscated, the individual escorted off the installation, the command element notified, and a citation issued for the possession of contraband on a federal facility.