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First Baghdad police graduate civil retraining

Army News Service

Release Date: 7/18/2003

By Sgt. Mark S. Rickert

BAGHDAD, Iraq (Army News Service, July 18, 2003) - Ninety-six Iraqi police officers graduated July 16 from a three-week retraining course in Baghdad that stressed human rights and modern techniques.

It was the first Baghdad city police graduating class since the war.

The next retraining class starts July 26 and is expected to have 200 students, officials said. They said classes will continue until all 8,000 police officers in Baghdad have been retrained, with emphasis on human rights, including women's rights, and modern police procedures and techniques.

Much of the curriculum and the classroom training was developed and presented by U.S. Army military police officers of the 382nd Military Police Detachment, an Army Reserve unit out of San Diego, Calif. The 382nd is attached to the 18th MP Brigade, based in Germany.

The graduation ceremony began with remarks by the dean of the Baghdad Public Safety Academy, Baghdad police officer Brig. Gen. Ahmid Ibrahim, followed by Ambassador L. Paul Bremer, who is head of the U.S.-led Coalition Provisional Authority in Baghdad.

Next, Bernard Kerik, senior policy advisor, Ministry of Interior, called the "top cop" in the United States, gave a short speech, and, after comments from a leader of the class, the commander of the 18th Military Police Brigade, Col. Teddy R. Spain, gave encouraging remarks to graduates.

The three-week retraining program focuses on international standards for human rights, modern police patrol procedures and techniques and applicable Iraqi criminal laws, procedures and laws of arrest and detention.

"The new (newly retrained) police understand better the rights of humanity," said Ibrahim, "and justice and freedom."

"Police in any country have a very important role to play," said Bremer. "In Iraq, a country that is emerging from totalitarian rule, the role of police is crucial."

The students of this first cycle are prior Iraqi police officers. Bremer said the new wave of "retrained" officers must set the path for a new police force, one that is just and free of corruption.

"You must overcome the distrust of Iraqis toward officers and officials in this state," said Bremer. "In the old regime, the secret police, Baath party loyalists, the Fedayeen, and all the thugs that worked for the former regime, have scarred this country and its people. You have to show your fellow citizens that you have broken with this terrible past."

There are approximately 8,000 police officers in the city of Baghdad, a city with a population of 5 million.

Following the speeches, each of the 96 retrained officers came to the podium, shook hands with the officials and received his certificate of training. A reception concluded the ceremony.

(Editor's note: Sgt. Mark S. Rickert is a member of the 372nd MPAD, an Army Reserve unit deployed to Iraq from Nashville, Tenn.)