Military Policemen help with new sheriffs of the highway: the Iraqi Highway Patrol

Courtesy Photo | Maj. Andy T. Johnson (center), civil military operations officer, 18th Military Police Brigade, Mannheim, Germany, speaks with General Ali Abd Hussein (left) through the use of an interpretor at the Iraqi Highway Patol Headquarters, Aug. 22, 2005 in Baghdad. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Jeremy D. Crisp.)  

BAGHDAD, IRAQ

09.01.2005

Courtesy Story

DVIDS Hub       

Story, Photos by Spc. Jeremy D. Crisp
MNC -- I PAO

POLICE
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- The defined mission of the military police men and women serving in Iraq varies from unit to unit, section to section.

One group of Soldiers may concentrate on route security, another, detainee operations, and yet another may focus on the training and equipping of Iraqi Security Forces.

For the civil military operations section of the 18th Military Police Brigade, Mannheim, Germany, their focus is the latter -- a newly formed Iraqi Highway Patrol. A projected force of 6,300 policemen dedicated to keeping the thoroughfares of Iraq safe.

"We've been tasked with literally everything when it comes to the IHP," said Maj. Andy T. Johnson, civil military operations officer, 18th MP Bde.

"Whether it's distributing hundreds of machine guns to the policemen, millions of rounds of ammunition, training, trucks, uniforms, even down to the generator needs of a particular IHP station, â?¦ if you can imagine it, we've been involved in it."

The 18th MP Bde has been working with the IHP since November, and the CMO section has ensured the policemen have the supplies, equipment and training they need in order to succeed -- something that is key to the stability of Iraq, according to Johnson.

"Having the IHP is very important for Iraq," said Johnson, who hails from Seattle. "The bad guys are using the highways to get out and move freely throughout Iraq, but the IHP is out there, busting smugglers and hijackers and spotting improvised explosive devices."

Since most commerce comes into Iraq via the highways, the MPs have worked to establish stations at intervals among the major roads, allowing for more police with less terrain to cover.

"There is hardly any sea, air, or railway travel for commerce throughout the country," Johnson said. "That is why we have provided IHP stations up and down (the major highways). There have been seams in coverage along the roads, but these stations are allowing us to fill the gaps."

And the gaps are being filled with the IHP on constant patrol throughout the country, working hand in hand with the MPs throughout different sectors of Iraq.

"We can judge how well the IHP is working out because the MPs they work with have a very close relationship with them," Johnson said. "The MPs include the IHP in their patrol plan. They know that between such and such time, there will be an IHP patrol between checkpoint x and checkpoint y. It's down to that level."

To prove the effectiveness of the work the MPs have done with the IHP, Johnson doesn't have to look far. On the road daily, he sees the IHP out patrolling and doing there job.

The IHP personally had their hands in resolving a close call on a recent mission Johnson was involved with.

"We saw the IHP out patrolling," Johnson said of the mission he was on. "On the way back, the IHP called in a report to me saying they had found an IED right on the road shortly after we had passed through. They had cordoned it off and they were doing all the right things to take care of the situation."

As the MPs work to turn over the highways to the Iraqi police force designed to patrol them, an operating center for the IHP has been set up to help with their operations.

The National Iraqi Highway Patrol Headquarters was completed with a grand opening ceremony August 25.

Construction began in February, and the completed compound is stocked with computers, internet, air-conditioning and communications capable of transmitting to all stations throughout Iraq.

"The new headquarters is a far cry from what the IHP was working out of before," Johnson said.

A top officer with the IHP and 15-year Iraqi Police Force veteran agreed.

"It's a cleaner station" said Maj. Rashied Zohair Muhammed. "We can organize more than ever, with our work, our vehicles, everything."

Muhammed, who acts as a liaison between Johnson and the top IHP General Officers, is quick to compliment the MPs on the support his station and fellow police officers have received.

"It's excellent," he said. "The Soldiers support us and help us, and that is great."

With more of the missions turning to the IHP, this has given a sharp jump in morale, Muhammed said.

"We feel good to get out there and do missions," Muhammed said. "More missions and more patrols are better than letting the (policemen) sit without any work or any missions. They feel good about that."

Not only are the IHP officers upbeat about their missions, but playing a hand in helping the new police force get out on the street is a high-point for Johnson as well, he said.

"There have been frustrating days," he said. "But at the end of the day, you feel like you've been here and had a hand in helping it get better. When we deliver 200 hundred trucks to the IHP, and a week later you see them in those vehicles and they're patrolling some street; it feels good to see that."

On the horizon for the MPs and IHPs, is to continue construction to complete 18 more police stations, training 4000 more policemen to complete the force and assisting with logistical concerns, Johnson said.

"Our end goal is to make sure they have all the equipment, training, and facilities they need in which to conduct operations," he said.

• Date Taken: 09.01.2005
• Date Posted: 09.01.2005 12:56
• Story ID: 2882
• Location: BAGHDAD, IQ