DBIDS upgrade provides faster, more secure traffic flow

  • Published
  • By 66th Air Base Group Public Affairs
HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. – Employees who have recently entered the installation’s gates may have noticed traffic moving more efficiently during peak traffic hours.

According to 66th Security Forces Squadron officials, what visitors may not have noticed is that Hanscom’s security is now even stronger because entry controllers have begun using an upgraded Defense Biometrics Identification System.

“Security Forces is vigilant about allowing only those authorized to enter the installation,” said Tech. Sgt. Michelle Armour, 66 SFS noncommissioned officer in charge of Police Services. “Through the recent DBIDS upgrade at Hanscom, our security forces personnel are now able to better vet those seeking entry to the installation.”

DBIDS is a handheld card-scanning tool that uses barcodes and biometrics to identify cardholders. The system verifies authorizations and assigns access privileges based on identity, affiliation and the current threat level.

“The new DBIDS scanner responds faster and with more accuracy than a human checking an ID card,” Armour said. “This means with the heavy volume of traffic entering Hanscom during peak traffic hours, entry controllers can now scan credentials instead of relying on visual ID card inspections, and it lessens the bottleneck or choke point at the Hartwell, MIT Lincoln Lab and Vandenberg Gates.”

Hanscom Security Forces personnel have been using earlier versions of the DBIDS scanner since 2013, but the scanners were not always as quick to provide scanned data results.

DBIDS was developed as a force protection and identity management program used to manage personnel, property and installation access.

Armour highlighted other benefits from the upgraded DBIDS scanner.

“If a person’s status changes for any reason, once the status is updated in DBIDS, all installation entry controllers will see the status change,” Armour said. “The scanner also allows entry controllers to identify personnel with warrants.”

The DBIDS system is maintained by the Defense Manpower Data Center, owners of Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System, or DEERS, and the Real-Time Automated Personnel Identification System, or RAPIDS.

When a Department of Defense credential is first scanned at any installation entry control point, the cardholder is automatically registered in DBIDS once the ID card is validated in DEERS. Information is also screened by the FBI National Criminal Information Center. DBIDS is interconnected with DEERS and NCIC for continuous vetting.

Armour asks base visitors to be patient when entering Hanscom during peak traffic hours.

“If you see entry controllers using the DBIDS scanners during peak traffic hours, assist them by having your credentials ready to be scanned and understand if minor delays still occur,” Armour said “It’s for everyone’s safety that entry controllers remain vigilant in ensuring Hanscom remains a great place to live and work.”

For further information on the DBIDS upgrade, contact Police Services at 781-225-5605.