Tri-Service
The Air Force's Water Guardians
Security is a key issue at all military bases, but when the facility is almost an island special methods come into play.
MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida, is 85% surrounded by water, and keeping that perimeter safe is the job of the USAF Police.
It created the Sea Patrol after 9/11 as part of America's efforts to increase security.
Marine Patrol Officer Senior Airman Tasker described the patrol's routine:
"Our job is pretty much to defend, deter, detect - we do a pretty minimal-based security job out there; we have a 1000-ft area where we can really detect intruders before they enter our insulation. First we try to use all of our tactics that are less-than-lethal-force to try to stop the intruder, and then we initiate an actual traffic stop as you would see on land".
Although the team can get up to 50 infractions a month, it's usually just an accidental drift from a fisherman.
As a precaution, however, all those straying into MacGill waters are met swiftly by the Sea Patrol.
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