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Visitor passes can no longer be requested via phone

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Melissa Estevez and Airman Gwendalyn Smith
  • 375th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
7/29/2015 - SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- --  After July 31 the 375th Security Forces Squadron Visitor Control Center will no longer be able to offer the convenience of telephone sponsorship based on new Air Force requirements.

"Times have changed and the Air Force saw fit to restrict this telephonic sponsorship," said Tech. Sgt. Daniel Baker, 375th SFS Plans NCOIC. "This is being directed to us, but we still want to make it as convenient as we can for the customers while still taking into account security policies."

According to the AFMAN 31-113, Installation Perimeter Access Control, telephone sponsorship is not authorized without identity proving the sponsor. A telephone with caller identification is not considered an acceptable identity proving measure.

"World events have increased Air Force directives concerning security procedures and policies," said Baker.

Beginning Aug. 1 advance sponsorship will still be authorized, but it must be coordinated through Security Forces Automated Check-in System from a ".mil" computer. The link can be found on most units' sharepoint sites.

When on the website choose "Scott AFB" on the initial prompt and use the "Request Visitor Pass" link for normal passes and "Request Special Event Passes" for special events or parties greater than 10.

"One of the benefits to it is that we are no longer tying up our visitor center personnel answering the phones," said Baker. "Before when someone called in they had to manually enter the information to the system which means they can't service customers at the visitor center."

Approximately 4,000 individuals were sponsored onto the installation during June. SFACS still saves time by skipping the lines at the visitor's center and being able to request a visitors pass from a government computer.

Staff Sgt. Leigh Tennant, 375th SFS Visitor Control Center Assistant NCOIC, said, "As with any change, it will take time to streamline the procedures to best serve our customers. For those without .mil computer access it will require greater coordination with their visitors to arrive and process through the VCC in a timely manner."