Posted on Jul 7, 2024
SGT Greg Knytych
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I have seen many posts on Facebook in the Oldschool 95B page talking about the Army either eliminating the MP Corps or eliminating Garrison Law Enforcement from the mission.
I've heard this rumor before, even when I was still in 35+ years ago. I do believe base law enforcement duties stateside will become more and more commonly handled by DOD Police allowing more personnel assigned to units to handle the changing and evolving wartime mission. There's been criticism about "civilian" police enforcing the laws on base, but the DOD Police aren't civilian. They work under the same authority and enforce all military regulations and policies as the MPs do. They also have the same responsibility to the UCMJ as any military member. I see no issues here. What do you say?
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Responses: 36
SGM Bobby Langford Sr
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I was Military Police for thirty-years, as I also served in Correction, attended Military Security as well as Special Operation and I also served with DOD Police, they are just as qualify as military police and that free up Military Police to participate in field training, preparing them for the Battlefields condition.
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SSG Brian G.
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Personally I think it is stupid, reckless and an invitation for problems. This smacks of political maneuvering and some pencil pushing number cruncher selling this as a great idea because it means that they are delegating these functions to non war fighters and shifting military personnel over to different areas.
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SPC Richard White
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A very stupid idea
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PFC Pamala (Hall ) Foster
PFC Pamala (Hall ) Foster
8 mo
SPC Richard White I am in full agreement. The decision is truly stupid, narrow-minded, and ignorant. Are these DoD cops well-trained Combative fighters if the need arises-like say, someone "rams the gate" and then goes to fight with one of them? Many have trained in Moi Thai, Bah Ritsu, Judo, Karate, just to name a few styles of fighting, and I have seen a few fights and sparring matches, where some of the MPs look like they could have put Brock Lesnar and Conor McGregor to the ground if they had the chance because they were that well trained! I have also been reading, and now that I am a Paralegal, I am understanding the vital necessity for a well-trained Military Police Officer because detail means everything when you are preparing for any court case.
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LCDR Aerospace Engineering Duty, Maintenance (AMDO and AMO)
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The navy does things like this on occasion, too. "We can save money by eliminating/merging this rating!!!"

Eventually, we re-introduce the rating. I'm still waiting for someone to have the common sense to split the LS ratings back into AK/SK. At that point, I can retire, since clear heads will have finally returned.
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1SG John Millan
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That reasoning is why Army went to DOD civ cops.
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SGT Elder Franklin Jones
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DOD Police will protect the Troops and installations for their paychecks and overtime Military Police will protect the same based on honor, espirit de corps, soldiering and most of all with their lives OF THE TROOPS AND FOR THE TROOPS!!! Garrison Law Enforcement should be handled by MP’s, MPI, and CID civilian and government departments should be used in a secondary role or for ground and air transportation to permanent correctional facilities
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SPC William Wells
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I think that it was a bad decision. I was a 95B10 and you need people that are of the troops to police the troops. These Dod are just rent a cops.
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SGT Greg Knytych
SGT Greg Knytych
12 mo
I was also old school 95B and worked with the DOD police in 2 posts stateside and they are fully authorized to enforce UCMJ, and most are former MP or SP in the Army, Marines or Air Force. A lot of it depends on what the Provost Marshal; allows them to do. Some only allow guard duties and others allow full law enforcement. They were on patrol with me and the other MPs and did a great job.
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MSG Thomas Currie
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Let me pose a completely different possibility.
Suppose we completely restructure the MP Corps, replacing it with a properly organized and properly equipped Constabulary Corps.

Yes I realize this proposal is just 20 years late -- we should have seen the coming need after Gulf War I, and even the completely deaf dumb and blind should have seen it in the aftermath of Afghanistan and Gulf War II when we spent decades trying to use random combat arms units as Constabulary.
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MSG Thomas Currie
MSG Thomas Currie
1 y
SGT Greg Knytych - look at the first several years after the end of WWII in Germany -- we were an occupying power in a country where there still existed some diehard resistance, plus a significant amount of various criminal activity (mostly black market), and a population who mostly didn't trust us. We needed a force that combined the skills of law enforcement and the ability to conduct localized combat operations rapidly. What we came up with was basically a mix of cavalry and MPs.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Constabulary

https://history.army.mil/Unit-History/Force-Structure-Support/The-US-Constabulary-in-Post-War-Germany-1946-52/
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SGT Greg Knytych
SGT Greg Knytych
1 y
MSG Thomas Currie this sound similar to what the 2nd MP Co started training with the 5th Striker Force to enhance our ability to respond to situations quickly. Almost like a mix of SWAT and Special Ops. The plan was to expand that out of 2nd Infantry Division but it never sedmed to materialize.
I agree this could, in the non-garrison duties, help but the issue is garrison duties mostly in stateside assignments.
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MSG Thomas Currie
MSG Thomas Currie
1 y
SGT Greg Knytych - Yes, what to have MPs do in CONUS is a problem area.

When a combat arms unit is in CONUS, they train for their combat mission, we don't have a completely different set of duties for Infantry in CONUS
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SGT Greg Knytych
SGT Greg Knytych
1 y
MSG Thomas Currie very true but those duties are still a part of the combat mission, depending on which unit you're assigned to. Of course there's more opportunities to train like this overseas than stateside. Most MP units stateside are strictly garrison.
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SMSgt Bob Wilson
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Eliminate it and hire social workers. Better yet a Girl Scout troop.
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SPC Daniel Brown
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I have always cared that when i was in the military that the MP's had my back not civilians.
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