One Man's Passion Leads to Successful Police Hiring Rate
24 February 2021, By Terri Moon Cronk, DoD News
It might take a village to raise a child, as the saying goes, but sometimes a single person can make a difference in something as large as the Defense Department's law-enforcement field.
The colleagues of Air Force Lt. Col. Brian Copper Jr. say he did just that when a need arose for a direct-hire authority to get civilian DOD peace officers around the world hired in a timely manner, and to make sure the law-enforcement mission continued without staff shortages. There are about 9,200 people in DOD law enforcement, excluding military police.
The lieutenant colonel was one of many Pentagon peace officers. He made sure the Air Force got the direct-hire authority when the issue first arose in 2018, and that authority has progressed DOD-wide because of his efforts, his colleagues said.
Copper passed away in August 2020. In December, he was posthumously awarded the first Law Enforcement Officer Certification because of his commitment to the Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission, in addition to his work on the direct-hire authority. He was the Air Force commissioner of POST.
"Brian was a wonderful person and a great patriot; his enthusiasm was contagious. He is greatly missed." Shelley A. Verdejo, Director, Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission
Receiving his officer's commission in 2001 after military enlistment in 1989, Copper commanded squadrons within security forces at multiple locations throughout his career.
"He knew firsthand as a young airman and [non-commissioned officer] what it meant to be a law enforcement professional, and how important training was to those guys who are out there on the front lines. He had a unique perspective, having done it as an airman and then as a commander in a unit," Vince Heitmaan, senior law enforcement advisor to the office of the undersecretary of intelligence and security, said.
"Lt. Col Copper was very involved with making sure that all the partners within the department including [the military services] were all aware that we were pursuing this initiative, and that if we did it as a collective group, we'd have much more success," Jorge Vargasmorales, an action officer with the POST training and force development division, explained.
Copper, he noted, was quite instrumental in providing the points-of-contact that others collaborated with and they were able to obtain the DOD-wide hiring authority. The department-wide authority was issued in September 2020.
"Our goal is to make this a permanent direct-hire authority that will be included in the national defense," Vargasmorales explained, adding there are also 26 members of the law enforcement caucus in Congress. "When they were made aware [of the direct-hire authority], they were excited and had significant interest to make sure that these types of efforts become [reality]," he said of the caucus.
Among the military services, hiring and retention issues fell to the wayside, Vargasmorales added. It now takes about 86 days to hire a peace officer, and the fastest hire took only 50 days.
Dedicated to the direct-hire authority for use throughout the DOD, Copper was intimately involved in the effort and attended meeting after meeting to make sure the authority came to fruition, his colleagues said.
"He was a unique individual," Vargasmorales said. "He was passionate about everything. Whenever he put his effort behind something, it was always all or nothing with him. On the [direct-hire authority], he was instrumental in educating senior leaders, too."
Copper, he noted, could translate what is traditionally a very complex process in simple, understandable, bite sizes for leaders, he said.
"He was always the person who was an inclusion guy," Vargasmorales said. "He was really big on making sure that we all knew what each other was doing. He was always very open to expanding the conversation."
Cooper could light up a room when he entered. "We felt Brian exuded all of the things we would want law enforcement officers in the Department of Defense to be," Shelley A. Verdejo, POST director and chief of the law enforcement division in USD (I&S), said. "Brian was a wonderful person and a great patriot; his enthusiasm was contagious. He is greatly missed."
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Brig Gen Collins and CMSgt Lewis would like to congratulate and wish their best to the colonel selects:
23d SFS Receives AF’s First Female Body Armor
By A1C Jasmine M. Barnes, 23d Wing Public Affairs, Published December 02, 2020
U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Emily Souza, right, 23d Security Forces Squadron NCO in charge of combat arms, helps U.S. Air Force Investigator Kaitlin Curtis, 23d SFS, adjust a shoulder strap Nov. 20, 2020, at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia. The 23d SFS is one of the first squadrons to field test female body armor as part of the Air Force Security Forces Center’s initiative to modernize individual protective equipment. The adjustable vest is cut shorter and contains a corset to fit different female forms and provide more comfort to female Airmen as they accomplish the mission. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Jasmine M. Barnes)
The 23d Security Forces Squadron received the first female body armor from the Air Force Nov. 3, here.
The 23d SFS, along with Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, received the new armor to provide more form-fitting and comfortable armor to female Airmen.
“Having the peace of mind of knowing that the equipment you’re issued is going to fit you accurately and protect you the way it should because it is made to fit your body makes women feel more mission-essential,” said Investigator Kaitlin Curtis, 23d SFS. “We’re a part of the team and we’re all here to do the same job.”
The armor has features to fit different female body shapes including a vest with an adjustable corset in the back, a shorter cut to fit females’ torsos and a shoulder cut to make it easier for women to accurately position their weapons in the shoulder pocket.
“It was nice to know that higher leadership in the Air Force listened to [our] complaints and … cared enough to want us to have [armor] that specifically fits us better,” said Curtis.
As more female Airmen became part of male-dominated career fields and deployed, leadership realized women were having more daily comfort issues than their male counterparts due to the standard vests not fitting properly. The process of creating the armor started when female Airmen voiced their concerns to flight and squadron leadership.
”[Female] Airmen brought up comfort and health issues, and we started taking a look at what we can do to fix it,” said Staff Sgt. Sean Lugar, 23d SFS NCO in charge of supply. We spoke with the Air Force Security Forces Center [Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas], and they pushed [the issues] up the chain. These particular issues got all the way up to the [Air Force chief of staff], and he decided it was important and put in the work to figure out what would be best for female Airmen.”
As an Air Combat Command base, Moody has a high deployment tempo, so the new armor was given as a solution to the problems women were facing while accomplishing the mission.
“Moody received female body armor first because they were one of three installations that were involved with the field evaluation that allowed us to get to the current solution,” said Master Sgt. Markus Nelson, Air Force Security Forces Center SF individual equipment manager. “[To show] appreciation for their assistance, we wanted to ensure Moody was one of the first units to receive female body armor.”
With the new armor, female Airmen will be able to accurately fire a rifle due to the better fit of the vest as well as run and lift their legs without the vest causing discomfort.
“The male vests hung so low on my waist that I had to take off the vest to use the restroom, leaving me more exposed,” said Curtis. “When we would go to fire our weapons, the vest was so wide on my chest that I couldn’t get the buttstock into my shoulder pocket.”
“Since the new armor was designed for a female body, [the vest] cut in more on my chest,” said Curtis. “I immediately noticed that I would be able to put the buttstock [of a rifle] into my shoulder without having any issues. Also, it didn’t bounce up and down when I ran or jumped because I was able to pull the corset in the back to make it tighter.”
Lockheed Martin Facility Protection Manager Opening
Job Opening -Facility Protection Manager, CA (Lvl 5) - Req ID: 544976BR
Lockheed Martin's aircraft leadership is earned through relentless research and development of high-performance combat, air mobility and reconnaissance and surveillance aircraft. We also provide world-class training, focused logistics support, and advanced targeting and navigation technologies to enable the right people with the right skills to be in the right place at the right time with the right information and the right munitions to accomplish their missions.
The Facility Protection Manager in Palmdale will be responsible for Supervisors of Security Forces, and the performance of the officers to include but not limited to:
Dispatch, alarm response, incident responses, notifications, and protection of the facilities
Responsible for day-to-day leadership, management, and direction of all assigned personnel who support Palmdale and other off-site locations as well as multiple, highly classified derivative Special Access Programs
Ensure the efforts of this organization meet customer compliance requirements for these areas of responsibilities
Ensure communications with site stakeholders, and program security
Candidate will stay current with current DoD requirements, in addition to, the requirements for operating Government Owned Contractor Operated facilities
The candidate must have very strong interpersonal skills and a positive, can-do attitude
The candidate must thrive in a very fluid, dynamic, and fast-paced environment as well as understand collateral and special access program customer requirements
The candidate must demonstrate the ability to lead and implement change in a collaborative, inclusive manner
Applicant selected will be subject to a government Security investigation and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information (i.e., Special Program accesses)
MUST BE A US CITIZEN - This position is located at a facility that requires special access.
A level 5 employee Typically has 14 - 20 years of professional experience.
What’s In It For You?
Our employees play an active role in strengthening the quality of life where we live and work by volunteering more than 850,000 hours annually. Here are some of the benefits you can enjoy:
- Medical
- Dental
- 401k
- Paid time off
- Work/life balance
- Career development
- Mentorship opportunities
- Rewards & recognition
This position is in Palmdale, CA Discover Palmdale.
Basic Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in related discipline or equivalent experience/combined education with professional experience and specialized training
- Minimum of 5 years of security supervisory or leadership experience
- Minimum of 5 years of Law Enforcement OR Anti-Terrorism Force Protection experience
- Experience with Security Forces operations
- Prior security experience in either SAP or Collateral environments, dealing with investigations, violations, and incidents.
Desired Skills:
- Familiarity with security forces, facility security, special access programs/collateral requirements
- Ability to reach consensus among competing ideas and backgrounds and to find common ground to move initiatives forward in a timely manner
- Excellent interpersonal communication skills to keep senior leadership informed of all - - Security related activities within the organization as well as the ability to work with stakeholders to capture and execute duties related to their support
- Must be able to build effective teams and internal and external customer relationships through open and effective communications. Must have the ability to proactively shape horizontal thinking and processes
Contact:
Michael Riggs
Facility Protection Sr. Manager
Security and Emergency Services, Aeronautics
Lockheed Martin Corporation
1011 Lockheed Way, Palmdale, CA 93599-0612
O 661-572-1225 | M 661-269-6788
Computerized Canines to Join Team Tyndall
325th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
Tyndall AFB, FL
10 November 2020, Courtesy Story
An unmanned ground vehicle is tested at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, Nov. 10, 2020. Tyndall is one of the first military bases to implement the semi-autonomous UGV’s into their defense regiment, they will aid in reconnaissance and enhanced security patrolling operations across the base. (U.S. Air Force photo by A1C Tiffany Price)
TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. – Over the last year, Tyndall Air Force Base and the 325th Security Forces Squadron have been working with Ghost Robotics to develop a system to enhance security and safety for the base population.
Tyndall will be one of the first Air Force bases to implement semi-autonomous robot dogs into their patrolling regiment. These computerized canines demonstrated their abilities Nov. 10 at an event attended by Maj. Gen. Tom Wilcox, Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center commander, and leadership from the 325th Fighter Wing and the Tyndall Program Management Office.
“We are very excited,” said Maj. Jordan Criss, 325th Security Forces Squadron commander. “We are the first unit within the Department of Defense to use this technology for enhanced security patrolling operations.”
While these robots walk on all fours and resemble a dog, they are not intended to replace the military working dogs. Instead they will aid in patrolling operations and, in doing so, allow Tyndall’s defenders to focus their efforts on security actions that require a physical presence.
“These robot dogs will be used as a force multiplier for enhanced situational awareness by patrolling areas that aren’t desirable for human beings and vehicles.” Criss said.
Criss explained that the robot dogs will be given a patrol path which will be set and monitored by the Security Forces Electronic Security Sensor System noncommissioned officer in charge.
“We will be able to drive them via a virtual reality headset within our Base Defense Operations Center,” said Criss. “We will be able to see exactly what the robot dog is detecting through its mobile camera and sensor platform if desired, we will also be able to issue verbal commands to a person or people through a radio attached to the dogs.”
The semi-autonomous canines allow defenders that would otherwise be patrolling these areas to focus on training, security and overall situational awareness across the base.
“These dogs will be an extra set of eyes and ears while computing large amounts of data at strategic locations throughout Tyndall Air Force Base,” Criss said. “They will be a huge enhancement for our defenders and allow flexibility in the posting and response of our personnel.”
This technology has the potential to replace and exceed the capabilities of certain static defense equipment especially in a contingency, disaster, or deployed environment. This makes Tyndall, post Hurricane Michael, the perfect home for the Air Force’s newest computerized canines.
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