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2/24 uses police work to break insurgency in Iraq

Marine Corps News

Story Identification #: 200412106044
Story by Lance Cpl. Caleb J. Smith

FORWARD OPERATING BASE MAHMUDIYAH, Iraq (Dec. 10, 2004) -- Anyone who visits the old chicken factory that serves as the headquarters of 2nd Battalion, 24th Marines, can't help but notice its resemblance to a police station. At any given hour, Marines are getting ready to head out on patrol, others are gathering intelligence, while still others are booking detainees.

The similarities owe in large part to the nature of the task here just south of Baghdad, where old-fashioned detective work is as important as the application of military force in cracking the insurgency. And in a fortunate pairing of mission and men, many of the Marines in this Chicago-based reserve unit - nicknamed "Mayhem from the Heartland" - are policemen back home.

"A counter-insurgency is 50 percent military and 50 percent law enforcement," said Lt. Col. Mark A. Smith, the commander of the battalion and an Indiana state policeman. "You have to combine the two."

A law-enforcement background is so common in the battalion that even the smallest units boast a few cops.

"Almost every platoon has two or three policemen," said 1st Sgt. Grif R. Lippencott, a Naperville, Ill., policeman and the company first sergeant for Fox Company. "We rely heavily on them at the headquarters level."

Hints of police procedures can be seen in almost every aspect of the day-to-day operations here.

"Many strategies employed in law enforcement in the states are in effect in Iraq," said Smith, who went on to explain how law enforcement tactics are used in capturing suspected insurgents and following the rules of evidence. Even the ways in which Marines execute raids, handle heavy traffic jams, and conduct a scene analysis resemble methods used by policemen in the United States.

The battalion even uses police procedures in its intelligence battle, comparing anti-Iraqi forces to criminals back home.

"There are a lot of similarities between street gangs and the guys we're fighting out here," said Chief Warrant Officer 5 Jim M. Roussell, an intelligence officer and 28-year veteran of the Chicago Police Department. "The enemy doesn't use uniforms, they hide in plain sight, and many are angry young men who feel a degree of hopelessness."

Another technique that works both here and at home is to reach out to the local communities.

"We use ground-level intelligence," said Roussell. "That means developing informants and getting out there and talking to the people. That's the way it's done in the United States, and it's the way it's done in Iraq."
Even their use of interpreters has a police feel to it.

"Many truths can be found in verbal cues and things of that nature," said Lippencott.

"We have to have people on the ground who know the language," said Rousell. "Iraqi citizens have been employed and trained as interpreters; there are also Marines who speak Arabic fluently."

When a suspect is brought in, the Marines provide a detailed report on the situation, resulting in his detention.

"Their judicial system is developing," said Lippencott. "We have to build a case against the insurgents."

Whether it was a cordon and search at a house, or an Iraqi citizen with suspicious material detained at a traffic control point, Marines are expected to provide the who, what, when, where, why, and how -- just as a policeman in America would.

So far the police influence has paid off well for 2/24, as they have captured approximately 200 insurgents since their arrival here in September. While the MEU will release a detainee if there is insufficient evidence to hold him, 2/24's record is thus far perfect. Every suspect pulled in by the battalion has been sent to prison.

By taking these bad guys off the streets, 2/24 is also making its area safer for localresidents.

"The area is getting better almost everyday because insurgents are being captured and taken into custody," said Smith. He also noted a reduction in the number of ambushes and road-side bomb attacks in recent weeks throughout 2/24's area of operation.

"There are only two options for insurgents here," said Lt. Col. Brian T. Shinkle, the battalion's staff judge advocate. "We either lock them up or we kill them."