WATERVLIET ARSENAL, N.Y. -- One of the true signs of a professional is that when they do things well they do so without any sense of self-promotion or fanfare. Every day, more than 1,400 Arsenal employees pass by one such group of quiet professionals - the Arsenal Security Force - but how many of these workers give a second thought as to who these security officers are or more importantly, how well trained are they?
Maybe they should.
Recent news reports about the killing of Osama bin Laden have reignited fresh reminders as to why America has been at war for nearly 10 years. Even after bin Laden’s death, the Arsenal’s extra force protection measures should be a daily reminder that we still live in a dangerous world.
Nevertheless for some at the Arsenal, force protection has become a second thought. They may believe that if there was a crisis or an emergency on the Arsenal someone else will take care of it. For others who have worked at the Arsenal for awhile, force protection efforts may have become part of the landscape. They have been passing by it (force protection) every day for nearly 10 years and may have become benign to the tactics and procedures that are designed to keep them and Arsenal operations safer.
But whether or not Arsenal employees have noticed, there has been significant change to the Arsenal security force this past year.
Newly hired security training officer Lt. Joseph Poole is part of this change and he is a significant one.
Poole, who came to the Arsenal after serving more than 20 years with the Albany Police Department, has more than a vision for the Arsenal’s security force, he has a plan. He recently briefed his plan to several of the security force’s more senior officers.
“We will make a positive impact on not just the perception the community has of our force, but also on the personal pride each individual will have due to their being part of a more professional organization,” Poole said.
One of Poole’s first efforts to enhance professionalism and pride was the establishment of a Field Training Officer program.
The FTO program involves placing senior security officers as mentors, trainers, and coaches to newly hired security officers. The FTOs were handpicked by acting Security Chief Alan Columbus due to their experience and knowledge of established regulations, state and federal laws, and standard operating procedures.
As FTOs, who volunteered for this mission without extra compensation, they will undergo additional training, as well as will meet frequently with security force leadership to discuss progress in the FTO program.
Each FTO is assigned a newly hired officer and then will work side-by-side with the probationary officer for a period of up to three weeks. Each day, FTOs will train, observe, and evaluate the progress of their mentee. At the end of each day, the FTO will complete a Daily Observation Report that addresses such performance tasks as driving skills, articulation of radio procedures, and relationships with citizens. This feedback is then provided to the officer who is undergoing training.
“It is important that each probationary officer receives daily counseling so that if there is anything that needs to be corrected, it is corrected immediately,” Poole said. “It is also important that we capture and reinforce the positive actions by our new officers.”
Security officer Michael Valle, who volunteered to be an FTO, said “When I arrived several years ago, I was given a three-inch binder and told to read about how to do my job.”
Valle said he believes field training will be a great program for new officers and looks forward to making a difference in how the workforce and the community view the Arsenal security force.
Fellow officer and FTO, Jason Rickson, agreed with Valle.
“When I began working at the Arsenal a few years ago, I was thrown into the mix without a mentor,” Rickson said. “I guess they (leadership) assumed that I would ask the right questions or that senior officers would show me the ropes.”
Newly hired officer Valentin Arreola, at the time of this interview had eight days on the job and is Valle’s mentee, said that when he was on active duty every installation that he had served on had a sponsorship and family care program. And so, he expected to have someone like Valle show him the correct processes and procedures.
Officer Ricardo Rohenaz, Rickson’s mentee who also had only eight days on the job at the time of the interview, said he was excited about the program, especially the daily interaction that he has with Rickson.
“Officer Rickson is showing me what right looks like, from gate operations to patrolling,” Rohenaz said.
It is interesting to watch how this new program is being so widely accepted at the leader and follower levels within the security services. For the hand-picked FTOs, there seems to be a renewed sense of purpose, as well as a hunger to make the Arsenal community more confident and proud of its security force.
For the new officers, they expected no less of a professional transition into the Arsenal workplace than what is being provided by the FTO program. After all, each new officer is a Veteran who is well versed on military sponsorship programs that have in the past helped them assimilate into other military assignments.
There have been other recent changes to the Arsenal security force from having a new chief to a new training officer to the recent hiring of seven officers to having its first female sergeant. The bottom line is that this is not the same security force as it was when bin Laden attacked the World Trade Center in 2001, or even as it was last year.
“In this job, we can never become complacent,” Poole added. “We must be better today than we were yesterday.”
So, whether or not any of the 1,400 folks who enter the Arsenal tomorrow will notice anything different with their security force does not matter to the security officers who work hard to protect them every day. After all, they don’t do it for the pat-on-the-back or for fanfare. They do it because it is their duty.
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