Photo By Master Sgt. Jerry Saslav | Sgt. Devon Denson, a native of Philadelphia, Pa.who serves as a military policeman...... read more read more
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By Sgt. Jerry Saslav
3rd Brigade Combat Time, 4th Infantry Division
BAGHDAD – Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers have 21 hours to transport a detainee from the time of capture to the division holding area annex. If they are late, the detainee will be released, regardless of the evidence against him. Sometimes, this mission becomes a race against the clock.
"That number [the 21 hours] is the Multi-National Division - Baghdad standard for how long we can hold a detainee," said Capt. Lillian Woodington, commander of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3rd Special Troops Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division.
This is the time determined a unit needs to properly process a detainee. The Soldiers follow strict guidelines in order to correctly process the individual. The timeline was put to the test, Sept. 21, 2008.
"The unit does tactical questioning of the detainees. They have to inventory their evidence and their personal belongings, they have to do sworn statements, fill out detainee packets," said Woodington.
This takes time, sometimes up to 10 hours, and is included in the 21 hour window. It can take the Military Police Platoon, HHC, 3rd STB, who are responsible for transporting the detainees to the holding area, anywhere from one to two hours to drive to the detainee's location.
Another of the steps is a thorough medical exam.
"A detainee may have an unknown medical condition, and if a detainee is just sitting in a cell for 48 hours and nobody knows about his medical condition, then that's just more time for him to get sick," said Woodington.
During the examination all injuries are noted and as much background information as is known is also written in the report.
The clock keeps on ticking.
"Sometimes we don't find out (about a detainee) right away," said Woodington.
That's what happened this day.
The MPs had been to this northern Baghdad base earlier that morning when they picked up a detainee who was charged with illegal possession of a weapon and obstructing the performance of a military mission. They asked if there was anyone else. They were told no. The unit headed back with their one detainee.
When a second suspect was picked up at 3 a.m., it took longer than usual to process his paperwork and write the sworn statements.
"They were still working on gathering evidence on him, and they weren't sure if they were going to have enough evidence to send him up to the [holding area]," said 2nd Lt. Elizabeth Nelson, a platoon leader with the MP Platoon, HHC, 3rd STB.
The MPs received a call notifying them later that day there would be three detainees needing transport. The Soldiers planned their route, left their base and arrived at Forward Operating Base War Eagle to pick up personnel before heading to the first stop, a joint security station in northern Baghdad.
They arrived at the JSS shortly before 9 p.m. The team had a little more than three hours before the deadline. Soldiers quickly set about their tasks. One of the first was the medical exam.
"Does he have any blood diseases, high blood pressure?" Sgt. Alta Goodrich, a medic with HHC, 3rd STB, said to an interpreter as she began the exam.
"No," was the reply.
"You take a glimpse of their body, identifying marks, bruising, swelling, scars and document any abuse that they may have sustained. You do a health assessment for the [holding area] to be aware of what medical issues the detainee has," said Goodrich, a native of Weatherford, Texas,
as Goodrich took the detainee's blood pressure and examined him, Sgt. Devon Denson, a native of Philadelphia, searched the detainee's clothes.
"I didn't find anything, the capturing units usually do a pretty good job of making sure everything's out of his pockets, we just double check," said Denson, who serves as a military policeman with the MP Platoon, HHC, 3rd STB.
While this was going on Nelson and Sgt. Christian Welmon, a native of Colorado Springs, Colo., who serves as a military policeman with the MP Platoon, HHC, 3rd STB, inspected the detainee's paperwork, inventoried and catalogued evidence and personal property the detainee had with him.
"The MPs have to review the detainee packet, make sure it has all the correct paperwork in it, make sure all the evidence has been inventoried properly," said Woodington.
As Goodrich listened to the detainee's lungs, she didn't like what she heard. She noted this on his record.
The detainee was then fitted with body armor and a Kevlar helmet, blindfolded, cuffed and led away to a military vehicle to be seat belted in for the next stop, where the 3 a.m. detainee waited.
It was now shortly after 9 p.m., two hours and fifty minutes remained in the 21 hour window.
The team spread out after it reached the next destination. It had been doing this routine for months now.
Goodrich and another Soldier headed to the holding area to examine the two detainees. Nelson and Welmon went to check the paperwork and perform their inventories.
The team worked as quickly as possible, making sure that everything was in order. They had less than two hours to reach the division holding area annex now.
On the way out of the base they were stopped by a resupply patrol. The team sat in their mine resistant ambush protected vehicles examining their options. They couldn't wait for the patrol to pass, it would take too long. The MPs were forced to turn around and take an alternate, longer route.
The clock was still ticking.
The MPs headed to FOB War Eagle, radioing ahead so the personnel needing to be picked up would be waiting. When the patrol pulled into the base it had less than one hour remaining.
Less than five minutes after arriving, the team was on its way to the division area holding annex. This trip usually takes 45 minutes.
This is not a glamorous job, but that doesn't bother the MPs.
"It's helping to get more of the criminal elements off the street," said Welmon.
"It hopefully brings some safety and security to Iraq and coalition forces," said Staff Sgt. John Blossick, a native of Columbia, S.C., who serves as a military policeman with the MP Platoon, HHC, 3rd STB.
The MPs pulled into the division area holding annex with less than 30 minutes to spare.
Mission accomplished.
| Date Taken: | 09.26.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 09.26.2008 10:35 |
| Story ID: | 24183 |
| Location: | BAGHDAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 385 |
| Downloads: | 253 |
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