ANDREWS AFB, Md. –
A man recently walked up to the counter at the West Fitness Center and asked Senior Airman Nicole Nnoko, 316th Force Support Squadron West Fitness Center assistant sports director, for a basketball.
As Airman Nnoko swapped the dependent's identification card for the basketball, something inside her body shuddered.
"I just sensed that something didn't seem right when he came up to the counter," Airman Nnoko said. "I looked at him and his ID, and I felt like I had seen him before."
One of Airman Nnoko's co-workers, dressed in civilian clothes, stood nearby and she called him over. After handing over the basketball, she asked her co-worker, "Doesn't that look like the guy from a few weeks ago that was caught on surveillance tape taking a gym bag?"
He agreed. Airman Nnoko quickly called the 316th Security Forces Squadron.
Within five minutes the base police arrived, assessed the situation and approached the suspect. When patrolmen made contact with the suspect, he admitted to being the individual in the photo.
"It ended up being him," said Airman Nnoko. "We caught him."
Though the base is a guarded community, the base is not immune from crime, said Mr. Calvin Quaye, 316 SFS investigator.
"Crime does happen on installations - regardless of rank or position. We've had officers as well as enlisted personnel apprehended for theft. Even though the installation is safer than the surrounding areas, we are not free from crime," Mr. Quaye said.
As a base, the entire community can play a role in crime fighting.
"The base community can act as a force multiplier for security forces," Mr. Quaye explained. "With the size of the base and lower security forces manning due to higher deployment tempo, the community can serve as our eyes and ears and report any criminal activity they observe."
A "force multiplier" is defined as an augment force.
Mr. Quaye said if someone on base sees suspicious activity, they should SALUTE.
"SALUTE is a good acronym to remember when observing suspicious activity," Mr. Quaye said. "First, 'S' stands for 'size.' Get the number of individuals and good description of possible suspects. Next, 'A' stands for 'activity.' What exactly are the suspects doing? The letter 'L' stands for 'location.' Where is the activity taking place? Then, 'U' for 'uniform.' Get a good description of what they are wearing. The letter 'T' stands for 'time.' Get a good time the activity took place and the time of the departure. Lastly, 'E' is for 'equipment.' Were there any tools or weapons used to commit the crime?"
Mr. Quaye said not to approach the suspicious individuals; simply observe and call security forces immediately.
"With the assistance of the base populace, we are able to respond to incidents they observe and report - like a neighborhood watch," Mr. Quaye explained.
The most common crime on base includes theft of unsecured property.
"It is important for individuals to secure their property - keep your vehicle doors and homes secured and locked. It is also important to permanently mark or engrave high-value items as this helps in the recovery process if theft does occur," Mr. Quaye said.
Mr. Quaye notes that Airman Nnoko's actions were vital to the apprehension of the subject.
"From the video footage, we were able to make a picture of the subject and pass it onto the gym staff," Mr. Quaye explained. "It had been more than a month since the theft when Airman Nnoko identified the suspect, which leads me to believe that she did not just blow the incident off. She was persistent. We do our part as security forces to get the photos out, but it all goes in vain if the community doesn't step up when it is time. This is great example of stepping up to report crime and, hopefully, her actions can be emulated by the Andrews'
community."