BAGHDAD --- During a joint patrol with Iraqi Police, Capt. Michael Kolton, a native of Fairfax Station, Va., stopped to talk with a group of men standing in the shade of a cluster of trees. The conversation went from questions regarding security, to the future of Iraq, elections and the Iraqi Police.
“The Iraqi people would rather have Iraqis fix their own problems,” said Kolton, who serves with Troop B, 1st Squadron, 75th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Multi-National Division – Baghdad, as he quickly replied to their concerns. “We realize that the Iraqi people need to do this on their own.”
Less then a year ago, the Iraqi Police force was no more than a dream in Ghazaliyah. The police force has developed from its infancy of the first academy graduates in January to becoming a force multiplier to the squadron in Ghazaliyah.
“They are the symbol for peace,” said Ali, a local convenience store owner. “It is much different from a year ago. Back then, there was so much fighting. You did not know where it was safe. Now, I know that if I am threatened that I can go to them.”
The success of the police certainly did not come easy. As with any fledgling organization, it needed time to develop. Much like the Iraqi Army, the solution to mentor and foster cooperation was to co-locate the Iraqi police with U.S. Soldiers. Being close neighbors who share the same buildings and living space has thrust the two security forces together to accomplish the same mission.
“We have developed a good relationship. The officers are very interested in learning. The fact that we are co-located and share the same living quarters has a lot to do with it,” said 1st Lt. Michael Brabner, a native of Pullman, Wash., who is a platoon leader with Troop B, 1-75th Cav. Regt., 2nd BCT, 101st Abn. Div.
“They have definitely helped out with security and they will continue to grow into bigger missions,” he said. “Eventually, they will be just like the American police. (They will be) just cops patrolling the beat.”