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| Iraq-Jordan |
| 2/24 uses police work to break insurgency |
| 2004-12-10 |
| Highlights "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." 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 local residents. "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." |
| Posted by:Chuck Simmins |
| #3 this is what makes reserivsts and national guard in this sort of role, invaluble. Unfortunately your higher command does not have the same law-enforcement experience when administering an occupation. That is one of our fatal flaws. Putting armored and cavalry division commanders in charge of a city like Baghdad and EVERYTHING that is required for securing a place filled with non-combatants AND bad guys. Cops are used to that, it's pretty much their entire job. Military police have never really had to deal with that kind of environment in their daily duties, their beats and the type of public (joes) they deal with are vastly different. The active duty division and brigade commanders have done more to impede the pacification of (lets say) Baghdad than anyone else... not to say there aren't good comamnders who get it, but there are a lot mroe who cannot break out of their modes of thinking and address the situation as it is. a counter-insurgency and peace-keeping operation. which has never been successfully combatted with traditional mechanized tactics and procedures. Ask the Russians they'll tell you. -DS |
| Posted by: DeviantSaint 2004-12-10 10:46:58 AM |
| #2 Anonymoose, I read someplace that Iraq passed the "Chicago standard" a long time ago. |
| Posted by: Ptah 2004-12-10 10:43:30 AM |
| #1 This is what I have long called a major goal for the occupation of Iraq: the devolvement from a military campaign to a big episode of "Cops". At this particular point, the goal is now to achieve the "L.A. standard"; which means that, per capita, Iraq is about as violent as Los Angeles. The left, on the other hand, will continue to call Iraq a "quagmire" and "chaos" until it meets what could be called the "Canada standard", which is unrealistic. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2004-12-10 9:48:16 AM |