CHARLESTON AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. –
In the coming weeks, Charleston AFB will see new faces at the installation's gates, on police patrols and out on the flightline.
The U.S. Air Force made a monumental decision to supplement the security forces career field by developing a civilian police department within the Air Force structure; the official name is Air Provost.
"We are extremely excited to have these professionals at Charleston AFB," said Lt. Col. Seth McKee, 437th Security Forces Squadron commander. "It means lots of experience and continuity for our deployed Airmen."
Air Force Materiel Command and Air Force Space Command have already begun using the Air Provost with great success. Air Education Training Command and Air Mobility Command are the next major commands to come online with the Air Provost program.
These professional police officers are not civilian contracted guards; they are full-fledged, federal police officers. They are graduates of police academies from around the United States, and are assigned to Charleston AFB as civilian government employees.
The primary purpose of the Air Provost will be to enforce the law, maintain law and order, preserve the peace and protect life and civil rights within the jurisdiction of the military installation.
The Air Provosts are assigned to the 437 SFS and are trained to enforce a wide range of federal laws and assimilated local laws for application and enforcement within federal jurisdiction. They are also authorized to enforce the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
For Team Charleston, the Air Provosts will bring to the table a vital force protection role by adding additional manpower to detection, investigating crimes, arresting and apprehending violaters, and most importantly, assisting installation citizens in emergency situations.
These valuable members of the police profession will provide continuity to Charleston AFB in a career field where active-duty security forces members are on a compressed deployment schedule supporting the Global War on Terrorism.
They are "Ready, Willing, and Able" to "Protect and Serve!"