Do you feel that Military Police on your installation are Professional, Well Trained and Community Oriented?
SSG,
The big question is what type of training are you and your Soldiers getting to help fill in this gap and how long is it taking? I do know this SSG, Bliss has training that some installations will not get due to “Civilians” still being in control of the MP’s. And this needs to be changed. TASER, Monadnock ASP, the MPH-900 ALPR, patrols carrying long guns due to “Active Shooters”, responding to the latter “training” and with Fort’s Bliss, Hood, Leavenworth and Bragg (correct me if I‘m wrong on the last please), some of these are already in place. With the interaction of how the MP’s act with others, SSG Wood’s I’m sorry to say this, but the last few times I have been on Fort Riley, the MP’s have been MIA. But I do know this, my son is an MP here at Riley (from Fort Bliss, and yes SSG L, he has asked me WTFO is going on here) and he’s been asked by fellow NCO’s to “Slow down and not be so aggressive”. He does his job and will write a citation when he sees a violation. The Soldiers here are not being trained like they should be nor are they taking it seriously. Why, the Civilians that are still in control at the top that DON’T want ant change and think Civilian Police need to be in charge all the time. My response, that’s the wrong answer.
The biggest issue with the Military Police Corp is it’s attitude. Yes, I will say this due to I have seen this happen as a Watch Commander and Patrol Super Visor. The interaction between MP’s, Soldiers, Civilians and “Others” needs to be addressed on a daily basis. Patrols being visible not only on the road, in the Communities (on foot, bike making contact with the populace) the PX complex or in another Battalion/Brigades footprint does make a big impact. For example, try calling out at a Battalion just to do a walk through, log in, and let that CSM, BC know, “We’re just here to see how you’re doing and to say hi” . Along with the needed training in patrol, response, running code, and how to quell a disturbance quickly might come from a Civilian Agency. But for now, the Veteran Patrol NCO’s need to train the Soldiers the right way.
I felt the same way when I was first commissioned as a hard-charging Airborne-Ranger Infantry officer. When I was injured and "disqualified for the combat arms", I became a Military Police officer and, honestly, it is the best thing that ever happened to me. I loved the Military Police Corps and still do.