Periodically, there are random car inspections at the Fort Belvoir entrance gates. Though they are frustrating to some Department of Defense civilians and non-government civilians, they help ensure the safety of the installation's work force and residents.
"We call them cursory searches, so we do have you open up your center console and glove box," said Capt. April Flores, Directorate of Emergency Services supervisory police officer. "But, we don't dig through anything unless something looks suspicious."
The inspections, part of Random Anti-Terrorism Measures, consist of Department of the Army Security Guards conducting internal and external inspections of each selected vehicle. The inspections are designed to detect any illegal weapons or substances in any vehicle coming on post.
"The internal searches, they look for illegal weapons, drugs and explosive devices," said Flores. "The external searches are for tampering of the vehicle like hidden compartments and new welding. We do it to keep the installation as safe as possible."
The number of cars inspected as they come through the gates varies depending on the type of R.A.M. search being done. One vehicle can be selected after a high number of vehicles have gone through the gate, or it can be after a small number. Flores said sometimes one lane is designated as the inspection lane, so every vehicle that comes through that gate for an entire hour is stopped and searched.
"The searches are cursory, so it's not like we are digging through people's personal items," said Flores. "We are just looking to see if we can spot anything out of the ordinary."
The inspections have been effective, according to Flores. Illegal substances like marijuana and open containers of alcohol have been found in cars trying to get on post. Though marijuana is the common drug found during the inspections, according to Flores, harder substances have been found by the DASG guards.
"We found crack (cocaine) in a person's car one time," said Flores. "So, a person can be caught with other substances."
This past weekend, the inspections once again yielded results. Two men were found with weapons in their vehicles and were told they could not come on post.
"Over the fourth of July, we found two concealed weapons," said Flores. "One person had a permit and the other person didn't, so they were told they could not come onto the installation. Even with a permit, unless you are law enforcement or live on the installation you can't bring weapons on post."
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