50 SFS updates RA visitor badging location

  • Published
  • By 2nd Lt. Darren Domingo
  • 50th Space Wing Public Affairs
SCHRIEVER AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. --  On Aug. 1, the 50th Security Forces Squadron restricted area visitor badging office will relocate to the North Entry Control Facility at Schriever Air Force Base, Colorado.

“The badging relocation is mainly to become in compliance with Air Force Instruction 31-101, specifically controlling entry with temporary badges,” said Staff Sgt. Andrew Beer, 50 SFS NCO in charge of Pass and Registration.

For years, the Schriever Visitor Center hosted the RA visitor badging office with an approved legal deviation from the regulation. However, 50 SFS looks to become more in compliance with the regulation to strengthen security measures for personnel safety and badge accountability.

“Instead of signing another deviation, we took a step back, reevaluated the issues and decided to fix the situation for (the) future defenders,” said Tech. Sgt. Edwin Bowser, 50 SFS NCO in charge of installation security.

The regulation states temporary badges for Protection Level 1 or 2 area assets must never leave the restricted area for which they are authorized. The Schriever restricted area is designated as a PL 1 area.

“It is well known that visitors come up to the visitor center, get their badges and then go down to NECF, however, that’s unsecure. We don’t know what they could be doing with that badge from leaving here to the restricted area,” said Beer. “This is a better way to control the circulation and accountability of our badges.”

An SFS member from the Pass and Registration office will be posted at the NECF 6 a.m. – 3 p.m. to be the primary badge issuing official. After-duty hours, the SFS entry controller on post will issue badges. These defenders will have access to an additional computer to search visitor access requests.

RA visitors who do not have base access must still check in at the visitor center for a base pass before traveling to the NECF for a visitor badge.

Authorized units with approved RA visitor badges to host tours and other distinguished visitors will not be affected by this transition. However, some units with assigned temporary badges will have to turn them over to 50 SFS once the relocation process is finalized. All of these units have been notified.

“The shared hope is to have better control of the temporary badges, which are coded for our restricted area,” said Bowser.

For more information on the new badging updates, contact Beer at 567-5620.