Police Transition Team Says Talix Saiba Has It All Together

Photo By Staff Sgt. Russell Klika | Police Transition Team Trainer Sgt. Andre Johnson of the 978th Military Police Company, Fort Bliss,Texas leaves the Talix Saiba Police Station after conducting an assessment of the station.  

IRAQ

06.13.2006

Courtesy Story

133rd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

By Staff Sgt. Russell Lee Klika
133rd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

The Talix Saiba Iraqi Police Station is a large two-story powder-blue building that is riddled with bullet holes, but inside the building are some of Iraq's most dedicated police officers.

Military Police officers from the 978th Military Police Company from Fort Bliss, Texas, attached to the 2/9th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, are serving as a Police Transition Team (PTT) and recently paid a visit to the station. According to Sgt. Daniel Burrows, Police Transition Team Logistics Coordinator, their mission is to conduct an assessment of the station's strengths and weaknesses and train the station's police officers how to sustain themselves after Coalition Forces are long gone. "We go out to the stations and check on weapons and the security of the site," he said.

The Soldiers performed an inventory of all weapons, checking and recording serial numbers while others talked with the leadership about equipment and personnel problems at the station. Burrows and a PTT trainer, Sgt. Andre Johnson, walked around the building and made suggestions about how to improve the security of the building. One suggestion was to remove all glass from the windows, to avoid flying glass during an attack.
They also shared with the IP's their daily experiences as Military Police officers and suggestions to improve their checkpoints. According to Capt. Kristofer Thompson, International Security Force Iraqi Police Coordinator for the 2/9th Cavalry Regiment, this IP station is one of the best they have been to. "The station has their stuff together," he said.

When Thompson asked the station's executive officer what they would do if they came under attack right now, his first response was to say that the Humvees outside would protect them, speaking of the Coalition Forces pulling security around the station. Thompson did not buy that, and pressed for a better answer. The officer then showed him three pamphlets the Iraqi Police had produced detailing the plan on what to do if the station were to come under attack. Thompson said he was very impressed with the plans. He told the officer that the plans were very good, for which the he replied, "We do better than our best, otherwise the insurgents will kill us. We all have families to go home to."

• Date Taken: 06.13.2006
• Date Posted: 06.13.2006 10:05
• Story ID: 6802
• Location: IQ