Military Police

SPRING 2015

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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23 MILITARY POLICE . 19-15-1 T he Defense Forensic Science Center (DFSC), Forest Park, Georgia, primarily serves as the criminal inves- tigations laboratory for the U.S. Armed Services, pro- viding full forensic science support (including traditional, expeditionary, and reachback capabilities) to Department of Defense (DOD) and Army entities worldwide. DFSC serves as the executive agent for the DOD convicted offender deoxy- ribonucleic acid (DNA) database program, manages the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command (commonly known as CID) criminalistics program, offers research and training capabilities and, when requested, provides forensic support to other federal agencies. 1 An asset of this nature is one that the U.S. Army Military Police Corps needs to understand and use to its full extent. Offcers and noncommissioned of- fcers should be familiar with the capabilities that DFSC has to offer, ways in which it might be of beneft to specifc cases, the collection and process- ing procedures it follows, and expected turnaround times. Forensic evidence is vitally important because it is one of the strongest weapons available for the successful prose- cution of criminal offenders and for the exoneration of in- dividuals who have been accused of crimes they did not commit. Forensic evidence is most often presented in court by an expert witness who is testifying based on an expert opinion. Forensic science experts are frequently called upon to interpret results and draw conclusions. 2 A 1998 study con- ducted by the National Institute of Justice revealed 28 cases in which individuals who had previously been convicted of crimes were later exonerated by DNA evidence that proved their innocence. 3 And according to the Innocence Project, 318 individuals (who spent an average of more than 13 years in prison—and 18 of whom were sentenced to death) have been exonerated by DNA analysis since 1989. 4 This is why forensic evidence is so crucial in a criminal case and why it is important that the Military Police Corps understand the capabilities of DFSC. There are three primary DFSC objectives: 5 • Analyze forensic evidence and casework, and provide ex- pert testimony. • Provide expeditionary forensic services to U.S. military forces in active theaters of operation. • Coordinate the execution of research projects to advance forensic capabilities. These objectives are relevant to the Military Police Corps. The Uniform Code of Military Justice is an evidence-based justice system. As such, credible evidence linking a suspect to the case in a manner that shows, without a rea- sonable doubt, that the suspect committed the of- fense for which he or she is being charged must be provided. Therefore, evi- dence—and specifcally, forensic evidence—is the key to a criminal law case. Without suffcient evidence, neither the prosecution nor the defense will be able to prove anything beyond a reasonable doubt. Furthermore, all evidence must be considered relevant, reliable, and competent; otherwise, it is not admissible in a court of law. 6 This illustrates the vital importance of DFSC and its role across the military Services. Investigators from all agencies within all branches of Ser- vice are eligible for training and assistance through DFSC. Training and assistance with analysis are available in the following areas: latent prints, DNA, drug chemistry, explo- sives, frearms and toolmarks, gunshot residue, documents, digital evidence, trace evidence, and legal studies. 7 Inves- tigators and special agents can attend the Special Agent Laboratory Training Course, which consists of a 1-week "Forensic evidence is vitally important because it is one of the strongest weapons available for the successful prosecution of criminal offenders and for the exoneration of individuals who have been accused of crimes they did not commit."

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