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American Soldiers help increase ranks in Iraqi police corps

Army News Service

Release Date: 11/12/2003

By Jamie Bender

AR RAMADI, Iraq (Army News Service, Nov. 12, 2003) - The Iraqi police corps recently increased after the graduation of 45 officers from the Al Anbar Security College at Camp Junction City.

It was the college's first graduating class, but within days more Iraqis will begin a new class taught by American soldiers from the 855th Military Police Company, a National Guard unit from Arizona and the 94th Military Police Unit, a Reserve Unit from New Hampshire.

Subjects taught at the academy include ethics, self-defense, religious tolerance and Iraqi law. In the third week of their training the students are taught basic rifle marksmanship.

"We teach them the same way privates are taught at basic training," said Spc. Arron Medlock, 855th MP Co.

The students seem to like the hands-on scenario training classes the best, said Medlock.

Many of the students are already police officers in the Al Anbar province and come to the school to learn a new way of doing things, he said.

"They are eager to learn and very accepting of what we are doing here," said Medlock.

"We had some concerns about how they would react to our female instructors but they have had no problems with that. No one misses the old regime. They say that they are ready for a democratic society."

Some of the students are concerned about some of the dangers they may face from former regime loyalists in the area.

"They are keeping a low profile out here," said Spc. Brent Borders, 855th MP Co. "They didn't bring their families [to the graduation], but they are very interested in us and who we are."

The biggest challenge the instructors and students face is the language barrier, said Borders.

"We have interpreters, but the English language doesn't always translate well. We have to continually find new ways to phrase things so the students understand us."

While the academy has the space available to teach up to 120 students at a time, they have not filled to capacity yet.

"The classes are about 20 students each," said Medlock. "We have a more direct relationship with the small classes."

The next class of police officers will begin within a few days after graduation.

(Editor's note: Jamie Bender is a staff writer at the 1st Infantry Division based in Wuerzburg, Germany.)