New defense at Tyndall Published Sept. 17, 2009 By Tanya Schiller 325th Fighter Wing/ Public Affairs TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- In an effort to provide long term protection and security for the base and its personnel, a new precedent in law enforcement standards will be implemented at Tyndall Air Force Base starting Oct. 1. Southeastern Protective Services currently provides security at the gate, but their contract ends Sept. 30. Provost Marshal Michael Bernatt, 325th Security Forces Squadron, for the base, has been pushing into action a Department of Defense Law Enforcement team for Tyndall that will mirror what the civilian police sector has been doing for years. The new security team will be replacing the 38 SEPS police officers with 22 highly qualified, prior-enlisted personnel. They will have completed their training at the Veterans Affairs Law Enforcement Training Center prior to starting. "It's important to understand that these are not contractors," said Provost Marshal Bernatt. "They are also not just gate guards. They are trained police officers and we will use them to that capacity." No other base has civilian, civil service police officers providing this protection, Tyndall is the first. Bernatt hopes that this will be a platform for other bases to build their programs from. "The DoD Law Enforcement Officers will be taking on a more active role with the base and provide the military bearing that has been missing at the gates," said Provost Marshal Bernatt. They will continue to work security at the gate, but they will also be providing the same protection that the military police are providing. In addition, they will not be included in rotations to deploy, nor will they be moving from the base anytime soon. "It's hard to get long term continuity and these new employees provide that continuity for the base," said 1st Lt. Mark Phillips, 325th SFS Operations Officer at Security Forces. "They will be a permanent staple at Tyndall."