FORT CAVAZOS, Texas — The Marvin Leath Visitor Center and the Department of the Army Security Guards Access Control Branch, Directorate of Emergency Services, who service all entrances to the installation, are the first line of defense when it comes to keeping those living and working on Fort Cavazos safe. The purpose of both entities is to vet Department of Defense personnel, their families and visitors with valid identification.
There are several ways a visitor can request access to the post. Canton Jones, installation access control supervisor, DES, first recommends visitors apply online by entering their license and social security number.
“Once they do that, the online system will vet them immediately,” he said. “It takes seconds. It’ll come back and tell them they’ve been approved or denied online, and then it gives the next step to come into the walkway center and go to the kiosk to get their pass.”
Jones said this method typically helps people coming from long distances, such as contractors or truck drivers. This keeps them from coming here and having to be turned around.
He added the visitor center updates their website constantly with all the information needed for approval to enter the installation. This helps companies who have routine business on the installation vet their employees beforehand and helps visitors coming from out of town.
If visitors cannot use the online version, they can come into the visitor center and use the kiosk or pull a number to go to a person to receive help. Each mechanism will ask for a valid reason for needing access to the installation.
“Anyone trying to seek access to the installation, we ask that they have several things when requesting access, one being a DOD or state- or federal-issued ID card — even a U.S. passport will work,” Jones said.
Jones said if a person is denied access to the installation, they have a right to obtain the background check information. If they want to go through the adjudication process to receive approval for entrance onto the installation, they can receive the paperwork from the visitor center, and they will send it through the processing channel.
Once a visitor has received a pass, they must gain entrance through a gate. There are approximately 12 regularly open gates across the installation, the main gates being the Clear Creek gate by the Main Exchange and the Bernie Beck gate on TJ Mills Boulevard right outside of the visitor center. The gates are manned by civilian security guards and Soldiers.
When coming to the gate, the guard will have personnel and visitors scan their ID or visitor pass and have you roll your windows down to check for all passengers and in-sight contraband.
One of the major functions the DA Security Guards Access Control Branch operates is the random inspection. According to Chief Phillip Coe, chief of the DA Security Guards Access Control Branch, DES, the Mobile Random Antiterrorism Measure Team is a great tool to help with the security and protection of the installation. The team visits the access control points to conduct vehicle check. He said to keep the installation safe, the team always change the inspection schedule at the gates, so it stays unpredictable.
“There’s some people that might get a little irritated, but you know some of the things that we found and some of the things that we’ve prevented in doing this has really paid off in protecting our family members, our Soldiers, our contractors and civilians that work on the installation,” he said.
Everyone who wants to enter the installation is subjected to a random inspection. The inspection team checks for contraband items and life-threating devices.
For more information about accessing Fort Cavazos, visit home.army.mil/cavazos/index.php/my-fort/visitor-information.
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