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Entering the gates of any military installation can sometimes be time
consuming. However, joking about the presence of a bomb or weapon in
your vehicle will not get you a smile from the security personnel
working the gate, nor will it make your entrance go any
faster.
“Incidents of persons entering our Kasernes and joking about having an
explosive device, bomb or weapon in their vehicles happen,
occasionally,” said Lt. Col. Carol McKinney, U.S. Army Europe, office
of the provost marshal.
“We have had several recent incidents. One of them was at the PX
complex and another at the local military hospital,” said Lt. Col.
Deborah Anderson, U.S. Army Garrison Heidelberg provost marshal.
“Some of those who have informed a guard ‘jokingly’ of having a bomb,
explosive device or a weapon have believed it would speed up their
inspection, or thought no one would take it seriously,” Colonel
McKinney said.
Remarks about bombs or weapons trigger an immediate response from security personnel.
“It’s a big deal,” Colonel Anderson said. “Military police are called,
EOD is called, the installation is shut down and the vehicle is
thoroughly searched.”
“The people responsible are detained and their installation passes are suspended,” she said.
Colonel McKinney said most suspects in such cases are charged with
communicating a threat or bomb threat, under Article 134 of the
Uniformed
Code of Military Justice, although some may be charged under German law.
“The German police use similar verbage, though (the punishment) can be
a bit stronger because of the potential endangerment to others,” she
said.
“Regardless of whether it is an access control point joke or a threat
to a facility, people need to remember that there are consequences for
such actions,” Colonel McKinney said. “German police will assuredly
make an arrest and will also make the individual pay for emergency
services.”
Colonels McKinney and Anderson offer the following advice: at an
installation gate or access control point, use common sense. Be
courteous; present your identification and vehicle registration when
asked, and don’t joke about a bomb, explosive device or weapon in your
vehicle.
“There’s nothing funny at all in making this kind of a joke,” said
Colonel McKinney. “What people fail to consider is that when everyone
responds to the threat of a bomb, this actually ties up those emergency
responders who should be available to respond to real life and death
incidents.”
