FAIRBORN — Fairborn City Council approved an ongoing mutual aid agreement between the Fairborn Police Department and the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base 88th Air Base Wing Security Squadron.
“It’s essential we have a partnership with the base and have this mutual agreement,” Fairborn Mayor Paul Keller said.
The security squadron and the Fairborn Police Department each provide services to each other. However, Fairborn Police Chief Terry Barlow said during his presentation to council that the security squadron “tends to pull back” due to the federal policy titled Posse Comitatus, which forbids troops on U.S. soil to enforce domestic laws.
“Basically, they’d come support us, but they won’t make any arrests,” Barlow said.
The security squadron at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base provides the Fairborn Police Department with personnel in the case of a disaster or civil disturbance, sharing of critical information, assists in locating base personnel, assist with service civil processes, providing K9 units for drug and bomb sniffing and provide access to its alcohol breath testing machine if the Fairborn Police Department’s machine malfunctioning, and provide access to its firing range.
Meanwhile, the Fairborn Police Department provides the 88th security squadron with personnel in the case of a disaster or civil disturbance, sharing of critical information, notification of the incarceration of base personnel, assists in arrests if a suspect flees the security squadron off the base, secure aircraft crash sites within city limits and provide its regional SWAT team if needed.
“This is a classic example of good cooperation and partnership,” Fairborn City Council member Tim Steininger said.
“I think this is great that we’re working with the base,” Fairborn City Council member Terry Burkert added.
Barlow explained that every couple of years or when WPAFB receives a new commander that the mutual aid agreement is examined and possible revised. Per the City of Fairborn’s own ordinances, the mutual aid agreement must be brought before city council for approval before the city manager can enter into an agreement.
