Military Police

FALL 2014

Military Police contains information about military police functions in maneuver and mobility support, area security, law and order, internment/resettlement, and police intelligence operations.

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MILITARY POLICE . 19-14-2 9 By First Lieutenant Joseph W. Reynolds IV T he Military Police Corps is arguably the most versatile branch of the U.S. Army. Military police conduct policing, security and mobility, and correction and detention operations in every imaginable environment. When the Soldiers of 2d Platoon, 218th Military Police Company, 716th Military Police Battalion, Fort Campbell, Kentucky, were selected for an upcoming deployment to detain U.S. prisoners at the Theater Field Confnement Facility (TFCF), Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, they knew they would need to diversify their knowledge and skill set. The TFCF mission is to provide pretrial confnement and posttrial incarceration for U.S. military and Department of Defense civilian prisoners who are sentenced for up to 30 days and, upon order, to transfer prisoners to approved federal facilities in the continental United States to serve as a disciplinary tool and a deterrent for commanders to use within the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. This mission, which is atypical for a combat support military police company, required that Soldiers shift their focus from policing operations to correction and detention operations in order to provide the utmost professionalism and competent care for U.S. military prisoners. How does a platoon of Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) 31B (military police) Soldiers transition to the MOS 31E (corrections specialist) world? After reviewing multiple potential courses of action, it was determined that eliciting assistance from the detainee experts of the 15th Military Police Brigade, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, was the best option. The 15th Military Police Brigade provides 31Es to the Midwest Joint Regional Correctional Facility and the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks (USDB) (both at Fort Leavenworth), where inmates with sentences of up to 10 years and 10 years to life, respectively, are confned. The 31Es are responsible for the day-to-day operations inside the facilities. They enforce the rules and standards set out in USDB Regulation 600-1, Manual for the Guidanc ; ensure inmate safety; and control the of inmate movement within the facilities. 1 Perhaps the biggest adjustment for 31Bs transitioning to 31Es involves the operational environment. Although many individual and collective tasks are transferable or easily learned through repetition, being outnumbered by 20 inmates in close quarters results in a heightened sense of awareness that cannot be replicated by patrolling the streets of Fort Campbell.

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