In the Spirit of the Law: Leatherneck's PMO keeps good order

Photo By Cpl. Michael Curvin | Sgt. Stanley S. Parker, a watch commander with 2nd Military Police Company, Marine...... read more read more

Photo By Cpl. Michael Curvin | Sgt. Stanley S. Parker, a watch commander with 2nd Military Police Company, Marine Expeditionary Brigade-Afghanistan, uses his radar gun during a patrol here, Nov. 25. Parker spent his first five months in Helmand province training Afghan National Police forces.  see less | View Image Page

CAMP LEATHERNECK, AFGHANISTAN

12.18.2009

Story by Cpl. Michael Curvin 

2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade

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CAMP LEATHERNECK, Helmand province, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan — You're cruising along a highway when you see a police car on the side of the road. Looking at your speedometer, you notice you're going over the speed limit.

For the police officer, a judgment call must be made of whether to pull the driver over or not.
These are decisions Marines with 2nd Military Police Company, Marine Expeditionary Brigade-Afghanistan, face every day. For military police men assigned to deployed units, the MPs must be prepared for field operations.

"All of the MPs that are working at [the Provost Marshal's Office] right now have pretty much spent their first five months of a seven month deployment outside the wire," said Sgt. Stanley S. Parker, a watch commander with 2nd MP Co., MEB-Afghanistan. "While in the field, we run combat operations with the infantry and [Afghan National Police]."

Their job isn't just about enforcing traffic regulations, however. Keeping everyone aboard Camp Leatherneck safe is a critical mission. Speeding is a safety concern here. Members of NATO's International Security Assistance Force and civilians walk along the roads here regularly. When vehicles travel faster than posted speeds, they kick up more dust, impairing drivers' ability to see the pedestrians.

"We're not out here to run radar and write tickets for people - that's not what we do," Parker said. "We're out here for the safety of the Marines."

Whether deployed or not, every Marine is held to the highest standards, whether on or off base. They are under constant scrutiny, as opposed to other job fields not readily seen by the public.

"The first and last Marine a base commander sees during the day is the Marine at the gate," Parker said. "We hold ourselves to a high standard."

New MPs attend a nine week course before entering the fleet. They partner with an experienced Marine after their initial instruction.

"It's really not easy, but it's a task that the Marine Corps has been pretty successful at doing," Parker said about the training of new MPs. "You have to take a Marine right out of [Marine Combat Training] and, in nine weeks, you have to mold them into somebody who's going to be carrying around a weapon enforcing rules and regulations."

During initial training, MPs study the Uniform Code of Military Justice, learn how to appropriately fill out paperwork, practice nonlethal weapons training and become qualified to shoot their pistol.

For field MP training, they attend infantry based courses in route reconnaissance, escorting convoys, handling and transporting enemy prisoners of war and military operations in urban terrain.

A Marine MP's mission is to ensure the letter of the law is followed at all times, but he cannot enforce regulations if he doesn't follow them. Before going on post, the Marines are inspected. Uniforms, boots and knowledge are all scrutinized, especially in garrison.

"If we're not upholding the regulations and the personal appearance of our uniforms that is expected of us by the Marine Corps, then we really can't talk," Parker said. "[A noncommissioned officer] will go through during an inspection and ask his Marines their general orders and basic law enforcement questions while he inspects uniforms."

Some choose this career field because of a lifelong interest in criminal justice, while some are picked by the Corps because well-trained Marines are needed in the field. Others choose the field because they want to do something different. But for most, it doesn't matter how they came into the job field; they like it for a whole different reason.

"There's a lot of responsibility given to junior Marines," said Lance Cpl. Trent D. Brown, a desk sergeant with 2nd MP Co., MEB-Afghanistan. "Further into your Marine Corps career, that'll help you out."