Eyes of the night

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Jason Burton
  • 39th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
INCIRLIK AIR BASE, Turkey --  For most of Incirlik's members, nighttime is time spent off duty. For the 39th Security Forces Squadron, its business as usual ... and then some.

The 39th SFS has a threefold mission, which includes protecting Air Force assets, protecting the flight line and base law enforcement operations said Capt. Drew Gehler, 39th SFS Charlie Flight commander.

The day shift's and night shift's standard operations are similar Captain Gehler said. There are mandatory postings required 24-hours a day and for the most part, the manning levels stay the same both day and night.

While Charlie Flight, which works the night shift, has the same overall duties as their day shift counterparts, the law enforcement side tends to be busier during the evening.

"The meat and potatoes of law enforcement happens at night," Captain Gehler said. "When the lights go down, people can get crazy."

"As far as protecting resources, the night shift is not different than the day shift," said Tech. Sgt. Robert Snyder, 39th SFS Charlie Flight chief.

But law enforcement is a little different because the majority of the alcohol related incidents, domestic disturbances and other law enforcement related occurrences happen at night he said.

Just like the day shift, the night shift has certain requirements it must carry out each shift. For instance, there are a required amount of security checks each security forces patrol must perform.

"During after duty hours, when the majority of the base is not at work, buildings are checked by (security forces) patrolmen to make sure they are secure," Sergeant Snyder said. "We also do walking patrols through the dorms and through base housing."

Sergeant Snyder added that the 39th SFS Military Working Dog handlers are their own section and they have their own prescribed amount of walking patrols they have to conduct as well.

The law enforcement patrols also perform "click it or ticket" checks as well as setting up speed enforcement positions. Sergeant Snyder said that these checks are to ensure the safety and security of base members, not to give people a hard time.

"Most of the time when people see security forces members patrolling, they always connect it to a bad thing," Sergeant Snyder said. "We are out patrolling to keep Air Force personnel and property safe, it doesn't mean we are out there to hem anybody up."

Since Incirlik is a Turkish Air Base, many of the security forces patrols and flight line security sections are joint. These joint patrols, which occur both day and night, include a Turkish Air Force and a U.S. Air Force security forces member.

Captain Gehler said during law enforcement responses, the joint units are normally the first to arrive on scene.

Other areas of the squadron have several additional responsibilities each shift.

In addition to manning their required posts, security forces members protecting Air Force assets and the flight line are required to randomly perform a certain amount of anti-terrorism measures within specified time windows.

"Every night, each patrol is required to perform a certain amount of exercise training," said Staff Sgt. Eric Mamac, 39th SFS area supervisor.

The training is done to keep security forces member's skills sharp, as well as keep them focused during the hours of darkness Sergeant Mamac added.

Captian Gehler said that even with all of the security forces working their posts and doing their patrols, one of the biggest advantages here is the concept that every Airman is a sensor.

"When Airmen are out doing thier job, or even off duty, they are a sensor for us, a detector of something that could be a potential threat," he said. "The key is just for them to recognize those signs or listen to their instincts, which most of the time will tell you that something is out of the ordinary."

"When we think of force protection, most people usually think of cops and (the office of investigations)," said Chief Master Sgt. James Findley, 39th SFS manager. "One thing we can't forget is that it takes a team effort to keep us all safe."

The other key aspect of this concept is for the base populace not to be afraid to call.

"If you call us and you're wrong, that's ok," said Captain Gehler. "But if you don't call and you were right, then someone could get hurt."

Even with the eyes of everyone on base looking for things out of the ordinary, and the perimeter security and joint patrols provided by the Turkish Air Force, members of the 39th SFS still work long hours to ensure Incirlik remains secure.