Iraqi Police Officers Train Up in Numaniyah

Photo By Spc. Alexis Harrison | Sgt. 1st Class John Bennett Sr., a Claymont, Del., native with the 1st Battalion, 5th Brigade, 2nd Iraqi National Police Transition Team, shows Iraqi soldiers proper room-clearing techniques during a training exercise at the National Police Academy in Numaniyah, Iraq, Oct. 10.  

10.16.2007

Story by Spc. Alexis Harrison 

2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs

By Spc. Alexis Harrison
2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs

NUMANIYAH, Iraq – Imagine you have just graduated high school. You decide to become a policeman and serve your community. Within days, you are given a uniform and tasked to patrol some of the deadliest streets in the world – without any training whatsoever.

In order to give policemen on the streets of Baghdad an edge against terrorists determined to tear neighborhoods apart, the 5th Brigade, 2nd National Police Division, has begun training on several topics that their leadership hopes will make them better both professionally and tactically.

At the national police academy in Numaniyah, the policemen have begun their regiment of training that involves dozens of different classes designed specifically for their needs while keeping Baghdad safe.

Roughly a third of the 1,800 policemen who came to the academy started the course outside on the streets of a makeshift city.

Broken down into smaller groups again, the policemen were given hands-on instruction by members of the 5-2 National Police Transition Team proper room-clearing procedures, basic medical training and traffic control standards.

Secaucus, N.J., native, Staff Sgt. Josh Hammerstone, said that many of the policemen attending his sub-course of the traffic control class have already been manning control points and searching vehicles and people while on duty in Baghdad.

"It's a different point of view on how to do something these guys have been doing right all along," said Hammerstone.

Although much of the traffic course was considered a refresher for policemen without the hustle and bustle of packed streets of the Iraqi capital, they still showed their motivation and appreciation for the training.

"The Soldiers teach us in ways we can understand," said one policeman. "At first, we were scared to leave our families in Baghdad, but now that we are here in Numaniyah, we feel proud to be doing this for our families and our country. This training can only make us better policemen."

Becoming better has been the goal of the brigade's commander, Brig. Gen. Baha. He spearheaded the idea to bring his police force to the training compound to get them away from the threats they worry about on the streets so they could better focus on their professional development.

"It is much easier to focus here," said one policeman during the traffic course. "We get a full-night's rest and don't have to worry about bombs or snipers."

Just down the dusty road from the traffic control point constructed from cones and tape, the transition teams' medics were giving classes on the basics of first aid to the attentive class of policemen.

How to carry a casualty, bandaging techniques and splinting were being taught in an interesting fashion. First, the Soldiers teaching the class would walk the policemen through the proper procedures, then, after smaller groups were allowed to practice on each other, the Shurtah (Arabic for policemen) were put to the test with a platoon-on-platoon race to see who could come out on top while maintaining the standards.

Two policemen would carry one of their "wounded" comrades to a station where placing a bandage on the wound properly was the primary task.

Three tasks in all were timed and graded to see who came out on top.

"These guys get really excited when you make a competition out of something," said Madison, Wis., native, Staff Sgt. Jeffrey Ethington.

After the group of policemen gets done with the six-day rotation through the training lanes outdoors, they will continue to train indoors with classes on ethics, evidence collection and many others taught in a more conventional classroom-style of training. This is when several hundred more will rotate out of the classroom and into the ghost town to begin their tactical training with their transition team counterparts.

• Date Taken: 10.16.2007
• Date Posted: 10.16.2007 09:15
• Story ID: 13030