Fort Bragg PMO hosts public safety council meeting

By Capt. Douglas Ray/16th MP Bde. PAOAugust 3, 2012

The Fort Bragg Provost Marshal Office hosted the Community Wellness and Public Safety Council meeting in the Sullivan conference room July 25. This is the first of these monthly meetings to be held on Fort Bragg since the group's inception in 2010.

The CWPSC is a cooperative initiative that brings together community law enforcement officials, citizen groups and local school administrators with a mission to lead the community in problem solving efforts that improve the quality of life for all citizens.

The monthly group discussions are an outgrowth of what began as a shared desire to reduce traffic fatalities in the greater Fayetteville area. Regular attendees of the CWPSC meetings include leadership from the Bragg PMO; Fayetteville, Spring Lake and Hope Mills police and fire departments; Cumberland County Sheriff's Office; local chapters of Mothers Against Drunk Driving and officials from the Cumberland County school system.

"A few years ago when we started this, our fatality numbers came down" said Charles Kimble, meeting chairman and Fayetteville assistant chief of police.

Kimble, a 17-year veteran of the Fayetteville Police Department, is a former Soldier and a military Family member. His wife is an active-duty Soldier serving on Fort Bragg.

"I like the Soldiers to know I have a passion for keeping this community well and safe," said Kimble.

"We have a lot of the same concerns and issues we face both on and off post," said Sgt. Maj. David Ellison, Fort Bragg provost sergeant major.

Highlights of the recent meeting included the need to continue the sharing of Fort Bragg gate closures and other traffic information with the surrounding communities to lessen the impact on off-post traffic. Additionally, members pledged their mutual support to each other during the upcoming back-to-school safety effort in August.

According to Ellison, Fort Bragg PMO participation in the CWPSC serves a dual purpose. He said he sees improvement in the general safety and security of the installation and professional growth for the military police force through the sharing of information and best practices.

"One way to professionalize the force is through partnership with civilian law enforcement agencies," said Ellison.

Ellison said the Fort Bragg PMO is considered a medium law enforcement agency by industry standards. However, the Fort Bragg PMO is the largest in the Army based on installation population, case load and calls for service.

According to Fort Bragg PMO statistics, the installation has a daily, on-post population exceeding 150,000 people and a total supported population of more than 260,000 Soldiers, civilian workers and Family members.

Given the size of the military community, law enforcement leaders of the surrounding municipalities recognize the need for the regular interaction of the CWPSC as it works toward the greater community's safety.

Kimble called the CWPSC, "a group of people who not only talk about it (improving community safety) but we do it."