Photo By Staff Sgt. Edward Siguenza | The Prime Minister of Iraq, Nouri Kamel al-Maliki, speaks to a crowd of Iraqi police...... read more read more
BAGHDAD — On Jan. 9, at the Baghdad police academy, Iraqi citizens serving in every law enforcement and emergency service agency in Iraq's ministry of interior proudly displayed their advanced policing skills and equipment to their nation's Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief, Nouri al-Maliki.
At this national celebration of Iraq's police force, Prime Minister Maliki reviewed a parade of law enforcement and emergency service professionals serving in units responsible for policing Iraq's rivers, responding to terrorist attacks and hostage situations, securing sensitive sites and Iraq's borders, patrolling and securing Iraqi neighborhoods, investigating crimes, controlling traffic, diffusing demonstrations, protecting government officials, fighting fires, providing medical aid, preserving and processing crime scenes, and containing and disabling bombs.
In front of Maliki, his police officers marched in unison, wearing pristine uniforms. Trailing the officers were the vehicles they use to accomplish their missions. There were as many kinds of vehicles as there were law enforcement units. On display in the parade were patrol boats, fire trucks, crowd control trucks, American military-style assault vehicles, bomb disposal vehicles, ambulances, motorcycles, and sporty patrol cars. All the vehicles were in immaculate condition. Their shiny surfaces reflected the bright afternoon sun, and most were decorated with brightly colored flowers or ribbons, and the Iraqi national flag.
After the parade of police and their vehicles ended, selected officers participated in demonstrations of advanced policing and emergency response skills that represented the vision of a modern democratic police force.
In one demonstration, different police units re-enacted how they work together to diffuse vehicle borne improvised explosive devices. In the demonstration police officers quickly responded to the site of a VBIED, enclosing the area with crime scene tape and posting guards at key locations. Once the area was isolated and contained, an Iraqi bomb squad unit used a small remote controlled vehicle, which carried a camera, to identify whether the vehicle contained a bomb. When a bomb was identified, a member of the bomb squad, heavily cushioned in protective gear, approached the vehicle and defused the bomb before it could harm anyone.
Maj. Dillon Haynes, a military police officer serving in the 49th Military Police Brigade headquartered in Fairfield, Calif., was very proud that the Iraqi police, during their bomb disposal demonstration, used the red crime scene tape that he worked hard to provide them in support of their crime scene preservation operations. "It was great to see the Iraqi police using our crime scene tape to show the importance of securing and protecting possible blast sites. To use it in a demonstration in front of Prime Minister Maliki shows that we both consider this tool as very valuable. It made my team feel like our hard work was making a difference," said Haynes.
The commander of the 49th Military Police Brigade, Brig. Gen. Donald Currier, who attended the celebration of Iraq's police force, was very impressed with the demonstration. For him, the demonstration symbolized the progress of Iraq's police force since his last tour of duty in Iraq as a police trainer in 2006. "They have come a long way since 2006. In 2006, our primary concern was to ensure that they came to work and had the right uniform and equipment. We were concerned with the most basic aspects of policing. In 2006, we couldn't have the discussion about the advanced policing that they are performing today," said Currier. "The Iraqis have the right vision of what a modern democratic police force looks like, and they have the capability to fulfill this vision; but they need to share this vision and build this capacity nation-wide."
The 49th is currently responsible for training, advising, and assisting the Iraqi police in all regions of Iraq at the local, provincial and national levels. In 2006, Currier, a former police detective who is currently serving as California's chief deputy inspector general, was the deputy commander of the 49th when the brigade performed the same mission.
Brig. Gen. Currier was not only impressed with the demonstration that showed how advanced policing techniques and coordinated efforts between different law enforcement agencies could safely defuse a VBIED. He was also very impressed with a riot control demonstration that showed how the proper employment of state of the art equipment and its measured use could diffuse a violent crowd of protestors before they could cause significant harm. "The riot control unit demonstrated how equipment should be used in a disciplined way. Their escalation of force against the rioters was not disproportionate to the amount of violence against the police. They looked better than many American police forces," said Currier.
| Date Taken: | 01.09.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 01.10.2010 16:35 |
| Story ID: | 43638 |
| Location: | BAGHDAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 427 |
| Downloads: | 373 |
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