An official website of the United States government
Here's how you know
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Home : News : Article View
NEWS | Sept. 17, 2008

State police crack down at Massachusetts military complex

By MSgt Bob Haskell, U.S. Air Force National Guard Bureau

CAMP EDWARDS, Mass. - Don't be surprised if a Massachusetts State Police trooper pulls you over and gives you a ticket if you're driving faster than you should be or if you fail to stop for a stop sign these days on the Massachusetts Military Reservation.

A community action team of six troopers is patrolling the expansive post on upper Cape Cod because the military commanders there have seen too many people who are driving unsafely - disregarding the posted speed limits and failing to stop at marked intersections.

"The amnesty period is over. Now we're writing citations," said Sgt. Doug Lynch, who leads the state police team, in early September.

It is unusual, nationwide, for civilian police agencies to patrol military facilities, acknowledged Col. Francis McGinn, commander of the Massachusetts Army National Guard Training Site here. McGinn is also a full-time state police sergeant who leads a fire and explosion investigation unit in southeastern Massachusetts.

The National Guard and the state police have a good relationship, and assigning a community action team to the post seemed to be the sensible thing to do," McGinn explained. The Coast Guard has the biggest presence, and other government agencies also have facilities on the post. Other people drive across the post on their way from one part of the Cape to another.

The state police team is augmenting civilian and military security personnel who staff the entry points on the post and watch over National Guard and Coast Guard facilities, it was explained.

The state police began patrolling the post last October, Lynch explained. They issued warnings and parked their patrol cars in highly visible locations in hopes that motorists would slow down and stop when they were supposed to. That didn't work as well as it was hoped, Lynch said, so the troopers began handing out tickets on Sept. 3.

This is not a first for the Bay State. The state police have patrolled the Devens Reserve Forces Training Area in northern Massachusetts for six years, said Lynch who is sympathetic to men and women in the military.

"We don't want to be writing tickets for people who are defending their country," he observed, "but when commanders keep complaining about people speeding and running stop signs, something has to be done."

 

 

Related Articles
Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chief of the National Guard Bureau Tony L. Whitehead receives a traditional clap-out ceremony on his final day at the Pentagon Nov. 6, 2024.
National Guard Senior Enlisted Advisor Looks to Next Generation
By Joseph Clark, | Nov. 6, 2024
ARLINGTON, Va. - Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chief of the National Guard Bureau Tony L. Whitehead didn’t think twice in August 2020 before accepting his appointment as the Guard’s senior noncommissioned officer and...

Four Utah Air National Guard KC-135R Stratotanker aircraft sit on the flight line at Roland R. Wright Air National Guard Base during a unit training assembly  Dec. 3, 2016. The KC-135 Stratotanker provides the core aerial refueling capability for the U.S. Air Force.
US, Morocco Military Strengthen Partnerships in Marrakech
By USAFE-AFAFRICA Public Affairs | Nov. 5, 2024
MARRAKECH, Morocco - The Utah Air National Guard was among U.S. Air Force aircraft and senior officials participating in the Marrakech Airshow 2024.  The trade show featured static and aerial displays of military and civilian...

U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Jaron Bridges, 126th Logistics Readiness Squadron, points to pallets stacked up at the 8th Airlift Base, Krakow, Poland, Oct. 21, 2024. The 126th LRS was in Poland as part of an expeditionary site survey of Polish bases to assess their capabilities and runway strength for use by U.S., allied and partner forces.
Illinois, Ohio Guard Teams Survey Polish Bases with USAFE
By Master Sgt. Brian Ellison, | Nov. 5, 2024
ACROSS POLAND - Members from the Illinois Air National Guard, Ohio Air National Guard and U.S. Air Forces in Europe conducted expeditionary site planning surveys at three Polish military airbases and a commercial airport...