The Gott and Piazza Gates on the southwest side of Tinker Air Force Base will switch hours of operation as of Aug. 1, base officials have announced.
Gott Gate near the 72nd Medical Group clinic will change hours from 24 hours, seven days a week, to 5:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Piazza Gate, east of Bldg. 9001 on the base’s south side, will become a 24/7 gate. Its current hours are 5 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Capt. Justin Clouser, operations officer with the 72nd Security Forces Squadron, said the change is needed to improve base security involving “gate runner” incidents in which vehicle drivers enter the base without being checked by security personnel.
Moving 24/7 operations to Piazza Gate will provide an increased buffer between the gate and adjacent buildings/residential neighborhoods and give security personnel increased situational awareness and reaction time.
“The intent of that is creating more standoff from the area,” Captain Clouser said. “It’s already very well-lit and there’s more channeling. It’s just a safer installation gate.”
The Security Forces Squadron analyzed a number of incidents at Gott Gate and made numerous recommendations to increase the installation’s security posture, to include a change in Gate hours. Col. Stephanie Wilson, 72nd Air Base Wing commander, approved the security plan.
As of Aug. 1, commercial vehicles over the size of a 15-passenger van will be required to use Piazza Gate when the Truck Gate (Gate 33 near Gott Gate) is closed. The Truck Gate hours, 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, will not change.
The base’s other 24/7 gates are Tinker (Gate 1, north side) and Lancer (Gate 20, east side).