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732nd PMO provides law, order

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Scott Saldukas
  • 407th Air Expeditionary Group Public Affairs
COB ADDER, Iraq --  Sustaining a safe and secure base for deployed servicemembers would be impossible without a group of Airmen who provide professional law enforcement services on Contingency Operating Base Adder and Ali Base, Iraq.

The 732nd Provost Marshals Office, Detachment 5, provides security for the entire base through aggressive and proactive community policing, force protection measures, traffic management, criminal investigations, badging control operations, and accurate reporting.

"We not only maintain good order and discipline on base, but we also do our part staying proactive towards outside threats to the installation, as every Airman is a sensor," said Tech. Sgt. Antoine Washington, Operations Superintendent of the 732nd PMO. "So when we are doing our job, everyone else can do theirs without issues."

The 732nd PMO here is one of five detachments that branch from the 732nd Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron at Joint Base Balad, Iraq. The detachment is made up of 44 Joint Expeditionary Tasking (JET) Airman that are security forces members by trade.

"Security forces are called security police when performing law enforcement missions," said Sergeant Washington, who is deployed from Holloman Air Force Base, N.M. "Security police have been and are the best in law enforcement duties."

The detachment is broken down into six different sections of specialization: central control facility, intelligence coordination and military police investigations, day-to-day operations and planning for special events, logistical support and armory operations, administration and communication support.

"A typical day for our guys consists of traffic management, community policing, case reporting, and force protection issues on base," said Sergeant Washington. "With 15,000 personnel to police, it can be a busy day."

According to Senior Master Sgt. Charles Orf, Provost Sergeant of the 732nd PMO Det. 5, Airmen typically work an average of 13 hours a day while conducting routine patrols, and several random anti-terrorism measures (RAM) per shift; to include hostile surveillance patrols of the perimeter, handheld identification and identity detection equipment (HIIDE) checks, and Multi National Forces-Iraq badge verifications.

"Airmen have encountered a myriad of incidents while patrolling since arriving here in August; known terror suspects attempting to gain access to the base, assaults, larcenies, third country national and local nationals with contraband and restricted items and indirect fire attacks," said Sergeant Orf who is deployed from Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz. "There are 39 security force members conducting law and order for approximately 15,000 U.S. Military, civilians and contractors, so everyday has the opportunity to bring something new."

Dealing with incidents and situations on base are the most visible actions of PMO, but some of the most important scenarios go unseen.

"We assist Army personnel and human intelligence specialists by detaining and escorting suspects while they are processed for possible barment from bases throughout Iraq while working with the Iraqi Police to transfer barred personnel to their custody," said Sergeant Orf, who hails from San Bernardino, Calif.

Sergeant Orf also noted that they confiscate and turn over any discovered media for document exploitation for intelligence value. They also process all MNF-I badge requests for southern Iraq, these badges are utilized by TCNs and local nations to access bases throughout the area of responsibility.

Although the entry control points and visitor control center are sections of high security they are not controlled by the PMO. However, any suspicious activity or person identified by the ECPs or VCC does require their response.

Responding to a situation here isn't always more complicated than it would be at home station but it is different due to working with our sister services.

"The mission here is not any more difficult as far as specific tasks, but there was a learning curve due to the fact we work with the Army," said the Provost Sergeant. "With that comes the responsibility to work with Army systems, forms and reporting requirements. The job is not difficult, it is learning our sister service's processes and requirements that has produced the most challenges."