MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- There are many different Provost Marshal’s Office sections that make an average military police officer’s shift run smoothly.
These sections are posted all across the station.
There are many parts to being an Military Police people don’t know about. Many activities take place behind the scenes.
MP start their shift by meeting up with their platoon at a designated time. They then head to PMO.
Once inside the building they gear up with what is referred to as black gear consisting of a belt ,handcuffs, flashlight, pistol and ammo. After they are geared up, they head out behind PMO to do guard mount, a formation where their uniforms, gear and knowledge are inspected.
When guard mount is completed, the military police head back inside to do the daily in-brief. There, they are informed of what happened on the previous shift, what their duties and posts are while on shift, and what is expected of them.
Once the briefing is complete, Marines who will be operating vehicles inspect the lights, tires, bodies and oil of the vehicles to ensure proper operation and safety.
Then they head out to begin their job.
Some of the MP posts are better known than others.
The main gate is one of the most important posts on base.
“At the main gate we are checking for valid identification, valid paperwork and controlling the access to the air station,” said Lance Cpl. Daniel P. Simon, a station military police officer.
“Another important post most people don’t really know about controls harbor security, watches boats that are docked on the air station, gives boat escorts, and makes sure everything (in the harbor) is secure,” said Lance Cpl. Sean Watson, a station military police officer.
Yet another post the MP’s have to stand watch at is known as the port access road.
This post allows only authorized personnel to be on the flight line past the guard shack, said Lance Cpl. David Skinner, a station military police officer. The MP on post there will not allow foot and bike traffic to pass through because of the risk created by landing aircraft, he added.
Another one of the flight line security posts is gate 12.
“Here we only allow authorized personnel to enter the flight line, we issue passes to the terminal when leaving Iwakuni on the Patriot Express and we control the traffic,” said Lance Cpl. Andrew Reisinger, a station military police officer.
Along with the posts guarding access to the base and flight line, the mobile units patrol all areas inside the base.
“The vehicles drive around base, making sure nothing wrong or suspicious is taking place,” said Lance Cpl. Jonathan Daisley, a station military police officer.
Mobile units also respond to calls, alarms and property disruption, perform security checks, traffic stops, help with medical assists and accidents, in flight emergencies and more, he added.
The exception is the watch commander. He patrols the base and goes to each post making sure the MP’s under his charge are taken care of, said Sgt. Adam Hoin, PMO’s third platoon watch commander.
There are also military policemen posted in a tower, this post is interesting as well. There the MP can see the whole flight line.
At this post, the information, such as in flight emergencies, received on the flight line from incoming aircraft is passed to the emergency command center, said Lance Cpl. Christopher Snyder, a station military police officer.
The ECC is where the emergency dispatcher is located.
The emergency dispatcher takes 911 calls, keeps logs, handles dispatching, monitors alarms and the flight line, as well as controls the mass notification warnings, said Lance Cpl. Steven Boehm, a station military police officer.
Physical security, which deals with background checks, security clearances and permanent visas is another job PMO Marines handle.
The Criminal Investigation Division investigates felonies meriting prison time for over a year.
The Accident Investigation Department handles all accidents minor to fatal.
K-9 units train, certify and employ military working dogs. The desk sergeant must know where all units are at all times, sends out notifications and completes paperwork.
The Special Reaction Team deals with special threats and Customs checks for anything illegal that people flying on or off base may have.
Pass and Registration deals with registering vehicles and issuing passes.
At the end of the shift, when the next platoon comes to work for its shift, the military police in that platoon follow the same routine as the previous shift.
When the platoon coming off duty is relieved, they return to PMO to clear and turn in their weapons.
Once the weapons turn in is complete, they enter the briefing room for an endof-the-shift brief.
When the brief ends, they are off work until their next scheduled shift.