New IDOC for KMC opens

The 569th U.S. Forces Police Squadron on Vogelweh Military Complex celebrated the opening of Kaiserslautern Military Community’s new Integrated Defense Operations Center with a ribbon cutting ceremony at their new facility Feb. 1. The IDOC, a $1.2 million project, was established for the purpose of building a new alternate emergency operations center and emergency control center. The ECC combines the dispatch and control functions of fire protection, law enforcement and installation defense for the KMC.

“This move is significant for the community because it brings all our emergency capabilities together,” said Senior Master Sgt. Steve Schoen, 569th U.S. Forces Police Squadron acting security forces manager. “It once was that when the fire department went out to a call, we didn’t know if it was a routine response or if a patrol was needed. This lets us communicate directly with each other and cut back on the response time.”

The renovations were broken up into two parts. Phase one included the relocation, renovation and new construction to the IDOC facility. Phase two is expected to begin this month and entails a renovation of the previous facility, which will be turned into flight operations and flightline security.

The now up-and-running facility combines the efforts of multiple agencies, which enhances communication and cuts down on emergency response time.
“The IDOC is essentially the nucleus of our operations and will be a combined effort between U.S. Air Force law and order,” said Schoen. “The KMC fire department, along with Army fire department personnel contribute to this project.”

The mission of the U.S. Forces Police Squadron is to provide law and order for all Americans in the KMC. Their patrol area is 1,150 square miles in which they provide full-time security to 16 different installations either by way of entry control, patrol response or anything determined to be security related. This project provides the KMC with critical capabilities to rapidly incorporate additional Air Force, Army and host nation departments into an integrated emergency response team.

Once completed, the IDOC will be the principal law enforcement and base defense operations center for U.S. Air Forces in Europe.