By Capt. Alfred A. Smith, 2/28 BCT
RAMADI, Iraq – Approximately 55 Iraqi Police (IP) candidates were screened and selected to become future Iraqi Police (IP) Officers, during a recent screening process held in Ramadi, Iraq; a former insurgent stronghold.
The qualified IP candidates are now eligible to attend a training class at the Jordan International Police Training Center (JIPTC), or the Baghdad Police Basic Training Academy.
“I know that it’s a dangerous job, but I need to make a difference,” said a local IP candidate. “I will go wherever I have to go, to get the training I need, to provide security for my neighborhood.”
Known as the “Sons of Al Anbar,” these IP candidates completed the necessary screening process, in order to secure their futures, and help establish a strong police presence in Ramadi.
Iraqi Police Officers that had gone through the same process in earlier months now provided the security for the IP screening center. “I feel very confident and I’m very proud to be a Police Officer for Ramadi. We are here to stay, and we are here to challenge and put an end to the insurgents,” said a local Ramadi IP Officer as he conducted a security search on one of the IP candidates.
“All of the IP candidates that I met during the screening process are very motivated to get the IP process started and attend the next available academy,” said Capt. Roger Churchwell, Iraqi Police Liaison for the 2/28 BCT, and a resident of Kansas City, Missouri.
“They are proud to be a part of a plan that is geared to provide stability and support, for their government and their city.”
The dedicated efforts made by local Ramadi community leaders, government officials, Iraqi Security Forces, and Coalition Forces have resulted in successfully obtaining the large number of Iraqi Police recruits needed to secure the streets of Ramadi.
When Col. John L. Gronski, Commander of the 2/28 BCT was asked to comment on the success of the Iraqi Police program in Ramadi, he said, “While we are getting stronger, the insurgents are getting weaker.”
More Iraqi Police candidates are scheduled to be screened during future Ramadi, IP screening events in June 2006.
Source: 2nd Brigade Combat Team / 28th Infantry Division (M)
