Updated base access system requires registration Published Dec. 8, 2011 By Senior Airman Jack Sanders JBER Public Affairs JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARSON, Alaska -- With less than three weeks until the full implementation of the Defense Biometric Identification System, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson community members need to ensure they are entered in the system. The latest count indicated only half of the 60,000-person registration goal has been reached, according to the 673d Security Forces Squadron, the unit which oversees gate operations. Registration in DBIDS will be required by all personnel for installation access. Those who are not registered in the system will not be allowed access to the base after the deadline, which is currently scheduled for Jan. 12, according to base security officials. "Anyone who has not registered in the program by the deadline will be referred to one of the visitor centers to be registered," said Air Force Master Sgt. Daniel Coon, 673d Security Forces Squadron. People who need to register for DBIDS should visit either the Boniface or D street visitor control center. Both centers are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. DBIDS registration can also be done at the People Center, Building 8517, in Room 100, or the JBER Hospital lobby, Monday through Friday between 7:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. "DBIDS is a Department of Defense system developed by the Defense Management Data Center as a force protection and identity management program to manage personnel, property and base access," Coon said. DBIDS is a DoD program, worldwide. "It was originally developed in Korea and is now used everywhere, including bases in Afghanistan, Iraq and Saudi Arabia," Coon said. The new program may come with growing pains, but it will be beneficial to the base, Coon said. "It means a more secure and safe environment for the JBER residents," Coon said. "To date DBIDS has identified seven people who were barred from the installation." Coon said the system works by using two different authentication systems to verify a person's identity. "First, it checks a person's identity via the DEERS program," Coon said. "Secondly, it uses the biometrics of an individual's fingerprint as a final verification for base access. This check is all done wirelessly through the hand-held scanners to the computer data base." Anyone with a common access card, dependent ID card or retiree ID card can register for the system."Registration takes approximately one to three minutes," Coon said. "There is no minimum age to register as long as the dependent has a dependent ID card, but teens 16 and older need to be registered. It's beneficial to register children between the ages of 10 and 16 because it aids law enforcement with things like identifying a sponsor's personal information, address, phone number, etc." Coon advised anyone needing base access to avoid the rush and preregister for DBIDS.