Meet Doug Whiles, the new current DFC Area Commander for the Federal Protective Service.
When did you become the DFC Area Commander?
I was officially appointed to the position on April 10, 2022, but I was acting in the role for many months prior.
What was your job before?
I was an FPS Inspector responding to calls, conducting Facility Security Assessments, giving security training to tenants and deploying around the country as needed to ensure the safety and security of federal properties and employees.
What are your main duties, priorities and responsibilities in this role?
As Area Commander, I will oversee day to day operations and coordinate with GSA, Tenant Agencies, FPS leadership, and others to ensure the completion of the FPS Mission which is “To prevent, protect, respond to and recover from terrorism, criminal acts, and other hazards threatening the U.S. Government’s critical infrastructure, services, and the people who provide or receive them.”
Are there any active shooter training or anything else you’d like to share in the newsletter?
As tenant agencies begin to repopulate their on-site workspaces, I encourage them to be in contact with FPS through their Inspectors or me to begin planning for trainings provided by FPS such as “Active Shooter”, Workplace Violence”, “Suspicious Package Handling”, etc.
Now that more people are returning to work at the DFC, what is something they should know?
As we all begin to get reacquainted with each other and adjust to more traffic in the offices, hallways, sidewalks, and streets, let’s please be patient with and kind to each other as we adjust to whatever the new normal looks like. As always, FPS will be here to help ensure the safety and security of the DFC and the federal buildings located in the community throughout the Lakewood Command.
What’s your favorite thing about your job and the DFC?
I’ve always been service minded and felt a need to serve my country. Working for FPS on the DFC gives me the opportunity to serve with a fantastic group of people throughout a variety of agencies. I love the diversity of agencies represented in the area and have learned so much about our government, the roles of individual agencies and how they often work together to serve the citizens of our great country. It’s also pretty nice to be able to enjoy an occasional lunch with my beautiful wife who works in the area as well!
The Federal Protective Service is the policing agency for the DFC. This is exclusive jurisdiction, which means it is the local police just like Lakewood Police is for the city of Lakewood. Facilities outside the DFC share jurisdiction with the local agency in that area. FPS can enforce the Colorado State traffic code and people are expected to follow the same driving rules on the DFC that they follow outside the DFC. It oversees the Protective Security Officers at the buildings and gates. You should think of FPS as your local police agency that you would call in an emergency situation.
FPS shares personnel to meet mission needs in both east and west sides of the metro area and has 80-90 buildings at any given time. It completes Facility Security Assessments on each of these buildings. The frequency of assessments is based on the security level assigned to the building. Some are done every three years and others every five years. We also are building rapport and interacting with the local police agencies in the metro area.
U.S. General Services Administration
