New DBIDS requirements ensure safety, ease of access

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Carolyn Herrick
  • 49th Wing Public Affairs
HOLLOMAN AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. --  After a brief hiatus to upgrade the software on the 49th Security Forces Defense Biometric Identification System, as of Feb. 1 hand-held scanners are being used again at all three gates at Holloman AFB.

Using barcode technology and fingerprints to verify the access authorization of everyone entering the installation, DBIDS is the latest step in helping security forces here improve safety and security for the Holloman community and its resources.

"We are spearheading this version of DBIDS, along with four other bases in the entire Air Force," said Senior Airman Charles Feriend, 49th SFS DBIDS Site security manager. "Security forces will be training and improving this system around the clock to ensure that there isn't a slide in convenience for the Holloman community."

A Department of Defense-issued identification card is still required for base entry, according to Feriend. The bar code on the back of the card will be scanned and automatically links the information on the ID card with the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System, also known as DEERS, eliminating the need for members to register at the visitor's center.

"This ensures only authorized individuals gain access, without sacrificing convenience," said Tech. Sgt. Ernst Francois, 49th SFS NCO in charge of the Welcome Center here. "This system will immediately catch a fake ID. It also flags base barments, as well as revoked driving privileges and lets us know if there are alerts on any individual from another base."

Visitor passes are also now given through the DBIDS software, said Francois. This will allow the Welcome Center to register visitors with a biometrics profile and keep that profile for up to two years.

"This, again, will increase security and add convenience," said Francois.

Security forces requests that all retirees with an ID card that was issued in 2003 or prior to go to the Military Personnel Flight here to receive an updated ID card with a bar code on the back. Any cards issued in 2003 or earlier will have a significantly higher number of issues when registering and scanning, according to Francois.

"Prior to 2003, there was no barcode information stored in DEERS," he said. "DBIDS primarily relies on the barcode on the back of the ID. This may seem like an inconvenience, but it is actually the opposite -- this will allow all retirees an automatic connection to DEERS through DBIDS. Furthermore, it equips retirees to stay up to date with current Air Force policies while granting them faster access to base or while escorting visitors."

For more information, call the Welcome Center at 572-5920.