9,200 people in DOD law enforcement: Air Force Lt. Col. Brian Copper made it happen
One Man’s Passion Leads to Successful Police Hiring Rate
FEB. 24, 2021 | BY TERRI MOON CRONK, DOD NEWS
The colleagues of Air Force Lt. Col. Brian Copper Jr. say he did just that when a need arose for a direct-hire authority to get civilian DOD peace officers around the world hired in a timely manner, and to make sure the law-enforcement mission continued without staff shortages. There are about 9,200 people in DOD law enforcement, excluding military police.
The lieutenant colonel was one of many Pentagon peace officers. He made sure the Air Force got the direct-hire authority when the issue first arose in 2018, and that authority has progressed DOD-wide because of his efforts, his colleagues said.
Copper passed away in August 2020. In December, he was posthumously awarded the first Law Enforcement Officer Certification because of his commitment to the Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission, in addition to his work on the direct-hire authority. He was the Air Force commissioner of POST. Brian was a wonderful person and a great patriot; his enthusiasm was contagious. He is greatly missed.”Shelley A. Verdejo, director, Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission
Receiving his officer’s commission in 2001 after military enlistment in 1989, Copper commanded squadrons within security forces at multiple locations throughout his career.
“He knew firsthand as a young airman and [non-commissioned officer] what it meant to be a law enforcement professional, and how important training was to those guys who are out there on the front lines. He had a unique perspective, having done it as an airman and then as a commander in a unit,” Vince Heitmaan, senior law enforcement advisor to the office of the undersecretary of intelligence and security, said.
“Lt. Col Copper was very involved with making sure that all the partners within the department including [the military services] were all aware that we were pursuing this initiative, and that if we did it as a collective group, we’d have much more success,” Jorge Vargasmorales, an action officer with the POST training and force development division, explained.
Copper, he noted, was quite instrumental in providing the points-of-contact that others collaborated with and they were able to obtain the DOD-wide hiring authority. The department-wide authority was issued in September 2020.
“Our goal is to make this a permanent direct-hire authority that will be included in the national defense,” Vargasmorales explained, adding there are also 26 members of the law enforcement caucus in Congress. “When they were made aware [of the direct-hire authority], they were excited and had significant interest to make sure that these types of efforts become [reality],” he said of the caucus.
Among the military services, hiring and retention issues fell to the wayside, Vargasmorales added. It now takes about 86 days to hire a peace officer, and the fastest hire took only 50 days.
Dedicated to the direct-hire authority for use throughout the DOD, Copper was intimately involved in the effort and attended meeting after meeting to make sure the authority came to fruition, his colleagues said.
“He was a unique individual,” Vargasmorales said. “He was passionate about everything. Whenever he put his effort behind something, it was always all or nothing with him. On the [direct-hire authority], he was instrumental in educating senior leaders, too.”
Copper, he noted, could translate what is traditionally a very complex process in simple, understandable, bite sizes for leaders, he said.
“He was always the person who was an inclusion guy,” Vargasmorales said. “He was really big on making sure that we all knew what each other was doing. He was always very open to expanding the conversation.”
Cooper could light up a room when he entered. “We felt Brian exuded all of the things we would want law enforcement officers in the Department of Defense to be,” Shelley A. Verdejo, POST director and chief of the law enforcement division in USD (I&S), said. “Brian was a wonderful person and a great patriot; his enthusiasm was contagious. He is greatly missed.”
Focus Pentagon Force Protection Agency (PFPA) t Prior to 2002
Mission
Protect and safeguard designated Department of Defense personnel, resources, and facilities.
The Pentagon Force Protection Agency (PFPA) traces its roots directly to the General Services Administration´s (GSA) United States Special Policemen (USSP) and a variety of security and security-related functions originally located in the Office of the Secretary of Defense.
Prior to 1971, the USSP provided law enforcement‚ safety, and security functions at the Pentagon. The protection programs were guardian-watchman operations‚ whereby USSP focused primarily on the protection of property. However‚ because of a growing number of disruptive incidents throughout the country‚ GSA reexamined its security program. In response to the mass demonstrations‚ bombings, and bomb threats of that era‚ the Federal Protective Service was established to provide comprehensive protection to the Pentagon and Pentagon personnel.
On Oct. 1‚ 1987‚ the GSA Administrator delegated the authority for protecting the Pentagon Reservation to the Department of Defense (DoD). To carry out the new mission‚ DoD established the Defense Protective Service (DPS) as a new element within the Washington Headquarters Services (WHS)‚ a DoD field operating activity. In addition‚ the scope of the DPS mission was extended beyond the 280-acre Pentagon Reservation to cover other DoD facilities within the National Capital Region. In the early 1990s‚ the various security and security-related functions located within WHS were consolidated and transferred to DPS.2002 to present
On May 3‚ 2002‚ in response to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack on the Pentagon and subsequent anthrax incidents‚ Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz established the Pentagon Force Protection Agency as an agency within the Department of Defense. This new Agency absorbed DPS and assumed DPS’ role of providing basic law enforcement and security for the Pentagon.
Since its creation‚ PFPA has expanded its mission and now provides force-protection services against a full spectrum of potential threats. Law enforcement is still a major part of the Agency’s charge, but PFPA is responsible for operational security‚ building surveillance‚ crisis prevention‚ consequence management‚ counterintelligence‚ antiterrorism‚ hazardous materials response and explosives‚ information technology, and protecting high-ranking DoD officials. PFPA continues to evolve, making it one of the Nation’s premier federal law enforcement organizations.