591st Military Police Company trains Iraqi law enforcers

Photo By Staff Sgt. Edward Siguenza | Spc. Christina Jones, an instructor with the 591st Military Police Company, 151st Military Police Battalion, 49th Military Police Brigade, dusts a vehicle for fingerprints as unshown Iraq law enforcers watch during a four-day training program sponsored by the 591st at Camp Taqqadum, Iraq.  

AL TAQADDUM, IRAQ

12.28.2009

Story by Spc. Edward Siguenza 

49th Military Police Brigade

TAQQADUM, Iraq — More than a dozen Iraqi law enforcers earned U.S. recognition for successfully completing a four-day crime scene investigation program sponsored by the 591st Military Police Company, 151st Military Police Battalion, 49th Military Police Brigade, during this Operation Iraqi Freedom effort.

The Iraqi officers, representing three distinguished organizations, earned Army certificates and kudos from 591st instructors and the 49th's commander, Brig. Gen. Donald Currier. They completed a series of training that included classroom and field work in evidence collection.

"We focused on crime scene processing. We gave them scenarios and tools and let them do their thing," said Staff Sgt. Ismael Leon, 591st instructor.

The first of four days set the tone for this unique training. The Iraqi participants engaged in a question-and-answer session with a prestigious Iraqi judge, who provided invaluable suggestions on what adjudicators like to see in criminal cases.

"That was really impressive. That doesn't happen a lot when a judge speaks to detectives," said Capt. Violeta Sifuentes, 591st company commander. "There was really good back-and-forth communication. The judge talked about forensics and crime scenes, things that are important to a case, things judges like to see."

The 591st, based out of Fort Bliss, Texas, opened this training to various law enforcement sectors in this Iraqi region. Close to 20 officers responded. They represented the National Iraqi Information Agency, Criminal Investigation Division and Counter-Terrorism Unit. They're experienced officers but still gained valuable training the 591st provided.

Another highlight took the participants outdoors to a secluded site. There, they united to investigate a vehicle blown up purposely. They had to contain the site, find evidence and draw conclusions as to the cause of the crime. All evidence was collected and taken back to the classroom.

Army and U.S. civilian advisors evaluated the Iraqi participants. They critiqued how the officers worked as a team and went about handling crime scenes given their scenarios.

"The goal is to have them become proficient in the collection of evidence," said Capt. Sifuentes. "Properly collecting and handling evidence can lead to the conviction of suspects in a criminal case."

"Things like getting fingerprints, that's a big thing as far as evidence," added Staff Sgt. Leon. "Fingerprints make it easier to solve cases. It's really important in getting cases solved."

Leon led instructions on properly "booking" suspects. He taught the class on properly getting suspects to place their fingerprints onto sheets of paper. "It looked easy at first, but then when they tried it, they found it wasn't as easy as it seems," said Leon.

The training derives from crime scene investigation (CSI) policies. CSI is a systematic search of a secured location. Once secured, evidence can be collected. And once evidence is properly processed, it can be used to prosecute and/or convict suspects of crimes.

"What we wanted the most was to get them to understand they have to work as a team," added Capt. Sifuentes. "And they have to learn there are different techniques of collecting evidence. There's also officer safety that they need to keep in mind."

The training concluded with a graduation ceremony honored by Gen. Currier's presence. Currier assisted in handling out certificates.

• Date Taken: 12.28.2009
• Date Posted: 12.28.2009 12:30
• Story ID: 43205
• Location: AL TAQADDUM, IQ