U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- The 10th Security Forces Squadron here unveiled its renovated building with an unusual ribbon-cutting ceremony March 28: Lt. Gen. Michelle Johnson, the Academy superintendent, sliced the ribbon with a bayonet attached to an M4 Carbine Rifle.
The renovations include a top-to-bottom refurbishing of the decades-old squadron; an armory with an office and restroom, a locker room, interview rooms for suspects or witnesses, holding cells with cameras for suspects and more working space for patrolmen.
The squadron’s facelift also features a heritage wall containing photographs of security forces Airmen who lost their lives in the line of duty, and a map filled with colorful pushpins to show the hometown of every Airman at the squadron.
"This showcases the heritage of our local Defenders and the ownership they took in getting this done," Johnson said. "A tremendous team effort produced an updated, modern facility that will benefit the Academy and our elite Security Forces team for years to come."
The original request to fund the $1.5 million project was submitted in 2008, said 10th SFS commander, Lt. Col. Michael Shirley, discussing the eight-year battle to fund the project.
Work began last summer with construction workers gutting the building. The 10th SFS spread to several points around base, including the Combat Arms Training and Maintenance facilities, the Large Vehicle Inspection Site, the Pass and Registration office near the south gate, and to a 10th Civil Engineering Squadron warehouse.
"Our building will rival any in the Air Force," Shirley said. "With new technology, we’re able to bring our Airmen into the current decade."
The technological renovations include a full system upgrade to the security forces’ Base Defense Operations Center, where Airmen track facility alarms, dispatch patrolmen to incidents and review driver’s license information and other identification information. Also installed is new software for the center’s alarm-monitoring system, additional WiFi to support the numerous law enforcement systems containing sensitive data and more infrastructure space, said 10th SFS manager, Chief Master Sgt. Shadd Mckee.
"We are now a more modernized dispatch center and more capable of delivering security to the Academy," he said. "With the remodel, we’re able to comply with space utilization given to each employee."
Colorado Springs Police Department Commander Sean Mandel was among the guests at the ceremony.
"Modern technology not only gives us the capability to provide a high level of security and service to the community, but it also allows us to operate more efficiently," he said. "It is essential we provide our officers with modern equipment that allows them to do their jobs as safely as possible."
Mandel said the upgrade will benefit the CSPD, as 10th SFS are regularly called to assist their civilian counterparts with traffic accidents on I-25 and other events.
"Our relationship with the Academy is extremely important, especially to the Falcon Division station [about one mile from the south gate near North Academy Boulevard]," Mandel said. "Police Chief Peter Carey understands the importance of the military-civilian relationship and prioritizes to make sure we maintain that positive relationship for the benefit of all we serve in Colorado Springs."
(Editor’s note: The 10th SFS provides law enforcement services for the Academy. It began in 1947 as B Squadron, 10th Airdrome Group at Pope Field, Cumberland County, North Carolina. In 1952, it was attached to the 10th Air Base Group as a combat support unit in Phalsbourg-Bourscheid Air Base, France, and Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, in 1953. The squadron relocated to Alconbury, UK, in 1959 and opened its doors at the Academy in 1994.)