Keeping the bond strong between 97th SFS and APD

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Nathan Clark
  • 97th Air Mobility Wing
ALTUS AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  Whether police officer or Air Force Security Forces, policemen are the ones we rely on to protect our communities, possessions and lives. The charge these men and women accept, bonds them in duty, making them natural allies in our shared communities.

The collaboration the Altus Police Department and the 97th Security Forces Squadron is one of the most important and beneficial relationships between the City of Altus and Altus Air Force Base and it is a relationship both side continue to nurture.

"This partnership has been going on one way or another for as long as I can remember," said Altus Police Department Capt. Mike Munn, a 24-year veteran of the civilian police force.

Though the two organizations have been working together for a long time, the dynamic has recently changed for the better. The reason for the positive change is a result for both organizations wanting to have better trained officers and need to reduce costs associated with that goal said U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Travis Nolen, NCOIC of police services on Altus AFB.

"We do a lot of our firearms training on their simulator," said Munn, referring to the Altus AFB Expeditionary Skills Trainer; a simulator that allows officers a chance to fire their weapons at moving targets without the need of a firing range. "By using those simulators, you knock down the cost of buying bullets and you get the hands-on experience with the moving targets. That helps our officers think reactively and any time you can save money is great."

It's not just Altus Police Department that gets training they would otherwise go without.
The Altus Police Department recently took 10 Airmen to Burns Flat to participate in a two-day driving course that taught tactical driving techniques, said U.S. Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Dean Mays, 97th SFS operations superintendent. Soon, both parties will be able to save even more money and access driving training easily, with a driving course on base where Defenders and Altus officers will be able to polish their skills.

"That will be good, because we won't have to drive an hour to get our training in," said Munn. "We want to make a great a training scenario that benefits everybody."
The collaboration doesn't stop with training; the Altus Police Department and the 97th work together in many other areas, like public education and information sharing.

"We attend monthly meetings with their chief of police and they keep us informed on any new crime trends that are happening in town," said Mays. Community events like last year's open house and the annual National Police Week and Red Ribbon Week campaigns also promote cohesiveness between the two organizations.

"We work with Security Forces for Red Ribbon Week, our detectives and the Office of Special Investigation guys work together a lot, we have a Child Abuse Task Force, and we are always at the newcomers brief to talk to anyone moving here about areas where they may want to stay away from," said Munn.

Their constant collaboration ensures each member of the organizations will be familiar with the workings of the other, giving them more tools to protect and serve their communities the best they can.