MP unit out of Germany works with all levels of Iraqi police for an eventual handover

[unhappycamper]

Sgt. Sidney Baker, 32, of New Castle, Del., loads ammunition into his Humvee's 50-calibre machine gun Saturday at Camp Victory, Iraq, while preparing for a mission to Forward Operating Base St. Michael. Baker, a member of the Delaware National Guard, serves as a gunner for the 153rd Military Police Company, 720th Military Police Batallion, 18th Military Police Brigade.


MP unit out of Germany works with all levels of Iraqi police for an eventual handover
By Vince Little, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Tuesday, January 15, 2008

CAMP VICTORY, Iraq — With violence waning against coalition forces, the U.S. Army has taken a different approach toward Iraqi police development in a bid to make recent gains stick.

In past years, the U.S. focus always was on stations and districts — which routinely received fuel, computers and other equipment. But military police are now urging officials at higher echelons to address the issue of supplies.

Lt. Col. Thomas Lombardo, the 18th Military Police Brigade’s operations officer, said the old process often raised accountability concerns.

“We’re in our second week working at this level,” said Lombardo, 39, of Buffalo, N.Y. “We’ve got to let the Iraqi system work it. The provincial and directorate stations need to become more self-reliant. How can they aid the district and local stations with support? They can start supplying those things.

~snip~

The brigade, which left Mannheim, Germany, in October on a 15-month deployment, has more than 5,000 soldiers in Iraq. Four battalions are spread across the country, including two in Baghdad. They’re up north in Mosul, out west supporting the Marines and as far south as Samawah, which is southeast of Baghdad.


Rest of rticle at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=51632