Protection at all times: ORNL’s elite police force guards assets around the clock
Early in the morning, in the still-dark hours before the first workers begin arriving for the morning shifts, the Protective Force Team is at the gate.
Late at night, long after most of the lab has left, Pro Force is still on the job.
The “police force” serving ORNL, Pro Force protects the lab 24 hours a day – even holidays.
“We have assets that need protection around the clock,” said Pro Force Lieutenant Ty Wolfe. “We are the eyes and the ears of the lab. Our officers always, but especially at night, have to be extra vigilant.”
Wolfe said they’re also extra-prepared. Many Pro Force employees have multiple years of military or special forces experience. Many also have experience on bomb squads, SWAT teams, special investigative or narcotics groups, and other elite law enforcement teams.
Pro Force is a “premier agency, attracting premier talent,” Wolfe said. “We don’t consider ourselves entry-level.”
We have assets that need protection around the clock. We are the eyes and the ears of the lab. Our officers always, but especially at night, have to be extra vigilant.
Once on staff with Pro Force, officers go through a basic training academy that covers the DOE, defensive tactics, rifle and handgun qualifications, special weapons qualifications and, later, ORNL-specific training. That’s followed by additional training year-round, specialized exercises and – when needed – essential mission tasks for DOE.
Much of the training and continuing education is done when officers rotate onto a night shift. Working day shift, they’re responsible for verifying around 7,000 people daily entering the ORNL campus, among other tasks.
Wolfe said each and every officer understands the gravity of the work they’re entrusted to carry out.
“The most important things are the assets we protect,” he said. “We protect the people, the buildings and the research that goes on here. We are the first and last line for many of those systems to be protected, especially the people, and we take a strong and proactive approach to make sure they are protected.”
UT-Battelle manages ORNL for DOE’s Office of Science, the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States. The Office of Science is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, visit energy.gov/science. – Hailey Blair and Kristi L. Bumpus