LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE, Texas –
The 37th Security Forces Squadron, responsible for installation security, will soon begin using the Defense Biometric Identification System to enhance security and improve force protection.
DBIDS is a Department of Defense identity authentication and force protection system. It allows a gate guard to use a hand-held wireless scanner on the bar codes of Common Access Cards and DBIDS issued credentials. The scanners will instantly identify who the person is and whether or not they're allowed on base.
In addition to providing personal information at the point of entry, DBIDS will notify guards about lost or stolen ID cards, individuals barred from the base, or persons being sought by their commander for an emergency or key response notification.
Lisa Frantz, 37th SFS installation security chief, said Lackland was originally going to be one of the first bases where DBIDS was installed but the base population size necessitated a delay.
"Lackland was at the front end of DBIDS but it is so much different than the smaller bases," Ms. Frantz said. "To get more of the infrastructure in place, we were pushed further back."
Though a specific start date has not been determined, Ms. Frantz said the current timeline indicates voluntary registration will begin in early December. She expects the registration process to take about 10 minutes per card. At registration, CAC or other DoD-issued identification cards will be scanned into the DBIDS system.
"Eventually, the DBIDS systems at all bases will interface, but until then, we have to scan the card, make sure the data is there, and then certify that the card is in our system," said Master Sgt. Bob Davis, 37th SFS installation security superintendent.
All active duty, family members, DoD contractors and retirees - anyone with permanent base access - will have to register into the Lackland DBIDS system. Once a person is registered, the information will remain unless dropped.
Ms. Frantz and Sergeant Davis expect the voluntary registration process to last up to six months. Initial plans call for registration sites at Mitchell Hall and Arnold Hall throughout the workweek. Staffing situations will dictate whether weekend registration is possible.
"At some point, senior leadership will determine when the process will become mandatory," said Ms. Frantz.
DBIDS will require a criminal history check on personnel entering military installations. In the coming months, DBIDS will be installed at all visitor gates and contractor passes will require registration into the system.
DBIDS is not a new security system for the Air Force. It has been used overseas since 2002 and first appeared on U.S. installations in 2005.