Courtesy Photo | Iraqi Police officers 2nd Lt. Salam, left, and Capt. Salam, practice lifting...... read more read more
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Story by: 2nd Lt. Patrick Leroy Beaudry
BAGHDAD—Catching a high-profile criminal or terrorist can take a well-executed strategy of analysis and anticipation, similar in nature to what can be employed to defeat an opponent on the chessboard. It is the job of an investigative training team working with the 2nd Iraqi Police and 17th Iraqi Army Divisions at Joint Security Station Deason, Iraq, to teach Iraqi Security Forces how to do this.
“Crime scenes are no longer kinetic,” said Bob Wirkner, a law enforcement professional attached to D Company, 1st “Dragon” Battalion, 63rd Armor Regiment, 2nd Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, United States Division – Center and a Carrollton, Ohio, native.
Wirkner—a Navy veteran, a former SWAT team member, and retired sheriff’s colonel—heads the training team, putting his many years of experience in law enforcement, the military, and on the chessboard to use expanding the investigative skills of the ISF.
“This training allows the ISF to draw direct comparisons between evidence and a suspect,” Wirkner said. “This helps the investigator narrow down their search and leads to a more successful prosecution.”
Investigative training is a long process, and initially Wirkner had some challenges to overcome in lesson planning. Much of the ISF trainees’ time is taken up by their respective organizational mission requirements. To compensate, a training plan was developed to accommodate the ISF’s demanding battle rhythm, but still let the trainees focus on their investigative training twice a week
“These [ISF] investigators are very receptive to material,” Wirkner said. “They have years of experience and they see how this adds to their skill set and recourses. They are not only receptive, but they are eager for it.”
The course, which has been running for two months, is currently being attended by four individuals: 2nd Lt. Omar and 2nd Lt. Mohamed from the Iraqi Army, and Capt. Salam and 2nd Lt. Salam from the Iraqi Police.
The investigative training is breaking new ground by training both the IA and IP at the same time. The hope is that the officers involved will help facilitate a stronger working relationship between the two forces which, in the past, have seldom had the opportunity to combine their skill sets and share gathered intelligence.
Currently the program is in the advanced phase, with less than 10 days until the final exam, Wirkner said. When complete, the trainees will have many new tools to add to their investigative techniques and share with their peers. With any luck, having trained IA and IP members jointly doing investigative work will create a greater common ground within the ISF for capturing and prosecuting criminals, as well as insurgents.
Wirkner is one of many civilian experts working with the “Dragon” Battalion during Operation New Dawn. This partnered investigative course is a part of the legacy that U.S. forces are sharing with their Iraqi counterparts, so that Iraqi Security Forces can put criminals and terrorists alike in the proverbial “checkmate.”
| Date Taken: | 03.15.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 04.04.2011 00:57 |
| Story ID: | 68207 |
| Location: | BAGHDAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 25 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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