Military

FALLUJAH, Iraq (Army News Service, June 27, 2003) -- Military police and other 3rd Infantry Division soldiers are helping train the police force in Fallujah, a city about 30 miles west of Baghdad that has been a hotbed of opposition to the coalition.

The 3rd MP Company handed out new uniforms and pistols to 200 officers during a ceremony at the city's main police precinct June 23.

"With these gestures, we hope to forge a new relationship between the U.S. and Iraq that will last for years to come," said Capt. Joseph Hissim, 3rd MP Co. commander, during his remarks at the ceremony.

The uniforms were comprised of Air Force dress trousers and short, locally purchased belts, an Iraqi Police brassard and a .38 caliber Special revolver pistol.

The reason for the uniform change was to get away from the green uniforms symbolic of the former regime, said 1st Lt. Steven Devitt, a platoon leader in the 3rd MPs.

Members of the Fallujah Police Department said they are eager to return to work and a peaceful way of life.

"Being a police officer has been my life," said Officer Kosai Esam Awni, via an interpreter. "My family's safety and home are my motivation to get back on the street."

In mid-June, 12 vehicles were distributed to three police precincts around the city. Each vehicle, painted white with blue doors and marked FPD, will also have an automatic weapon kept inside for the officer's safety.

Staff Sgt. Sean Sullivan, a team sergeant with B Company, 411th Civil Affairs Battalion, has been teaching classes at the Fallujah police station every morning.

Before he was activated, Sullivan worked as a police instructor in Springfield, Mass., so he said the training comes easily to him. What's not as easy is teaching people who don't speak the same language, and who have had little or no training in their fields.

The classes are very basic, Sullivan said. He's done classes on control and compliance techniques, handcuffing, takedown and traffic stops among other things - simple hands-on techniques that don't require much equipment.

"Some of these guys have never even laid eyes on a pair of handcuffs," Sullivan said. "So we're trying to take baby steps. (The training is) something they can watch and learn quickly."

Most days Sullivan starts off the class by asking police officers to show him how they would conduct themselves in certain situations, then he shows them how he would do it differently. With the help of a translator, Fallujah Police 1st Lt. Saad Abdalkareed, Sullivan is able to explain why he does things the way he does, and how they promote safety.

Sullivan said he hopes the extra training will help the Fallujah police be more proactive as they patrol the streets, both with 3rd MP Company soldiers and by themselves.

"It gives them a little more confidence . hopefully they might be eager to get out there and use some of these techniques and make this city a little safer," he said.

While some of the police officers in the class seem indifferent, Sullivan said some are eager to learn.

"This is the first time for us to see what we can do in many cases - can we make a search or can we stop a car?" Abdalkareed explained. "It's good for us because we learn what to do in the future against thieves, killers and all bad people."

Abdalkareed said the Fallujah police needed help from the American soldiers, who have more experience, training and equipment.

"We need guns, we need cars, we need radios," he said. "The situation is sort of hard for us because we have more thieves and killers on the streets . but the American forces try to help us do our jobs.

"Maybe in the future, when we can do our jobs in a good manner, we won't need them anymore."

(Spc. Katherine Robinson and Sgt. Craig Zentkovich are journalists with the 50th PAD in Iraq.)