What is it like being an MP in garrison?

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 08 Feb 2017 23:54:02 -0500

I was in the National Guard as an MP. Other than AIT I got very little to no training as a garrison MP. What is it like being an MP on active duty in garrison?

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 9 at 2017 12:25 AM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 09 Feb 2017 00:25:47 -0500

Response by SPC Erich Guenther made Feb 9 at 2017 8:49 AM

SPC Erich Guenther — Thu, 09 Feb 2017 08:49:48 -0500

Well when the National Guard visits an Active Duty post you have to get out your citation book and write citations on hair being too long or uniform violations. Oh yeah saw that happen on Redstone Aresenal back in the early 1980's. ==> TOW live fire exercise.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 9 at 2017 8:51 AM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 09 Feb 2017 08:51:28 -0500

Well let's see. You're basically just doing regular law enforcement duty. Pretty basic. But you WILL come across people that hate you for doing your job, officer and enlisted. You have to deal with the public on everything from directions to traffic stops. YOU must maintain 100% professionalism while the people you're dealing with can act like morons if they want to. Ummmm, you will get bored. Very bored. That's no excuse to pull people over for 5 over though. 10 over was always my rule.
Also, keep in mind that even though people screw with MPs all the time, in the end, we are there to keep them safe. Whether they appreciate it or not.

Response by CW4 Anthoney Lowry made Feb 9 at 2017 9:49 AM

CW4 Anthoney Lowry — Thu, 09 Feb 2017 09:49:40 -0500

So there I was, riding passenger in a 2 seat John Deere Gator Bagram, Afghanistan. When an MP in his shinny new Toyota comes up behind us with his lights on. We figure something happened and he needs to get there so we pull over. He pulls over behind us and gets out. walks up to us and looks at the front of our windshield first and then says " Uhhh, you didn't stop at that stop sign". Yes we did because we had to stop for 4 MRAPs to go by. this guy thought we didn't have a vehicle pass and was going to impound our gator. I have great pictures of the impound lot with a Cadillac escalade in it. Since we had the pass, he had to make something up as to why he pulled us over. Gave the driver a ticket, had to go to the MP station and sign the ticket because I was his supervisor.

So from my perspective, garrison life or deployed life is really no different for MPs.

Response by SPC Johnney Abbott made Feb 9 at 2017 10:15 AM

SPC Johnney Abbott — Thu, 09 Feb 2017 10:15:18 -0500

Garrison wasn't too bad. But you get tired of the road after a while. Of your unit is worth a crap they'll do field training. Those are skills that will keep you alive when you deploy.

But I found strictly garrison boring.

Response by SGT David Crutchfield made Feb 9 at 2017 8:35 PM

SGT David Crutchfield — Thu, 09 Feb 2017 20:35:59 -0500

Sometimes a headache, depends if you work nights or days. Most bases now are mostly DID police last I've been to one

Response by SSG (ret) William Martin made Feb 10 at 2017 6:48 AM

SSG (ret) William Martin — Fri, 10 Feb 2017 06:48:21 -0500

Being an MP in garrison is just like any MOS except for when you are conducting LE duties. When you're not conducting LE duties there are taskings, inventories, room inspections, weapons cleaning and inspections, paper work for Soldiers, etc.

Response by LTJG Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 10 at 2017 10:22 AM

LTJG Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 10 Feb 2017 10:22:38 -0500

I can't answer your question 100% as I am not a full MP. I'm just a FAP (Fleet Assistance Program) Marine. Meaning I was temporarily loaned out to PMO at my station for 6 months due to manning agreement. All our contracts would allow us to do was to guard the gates and help out with special event security. Mostly checking ID's, logging commercial vehicles, issuing temp passes at night, and watch out for BOLOs. From my friends who are full MP's, there's Traffic, SRT, K9 units, and CID. They do everything from issuing tickets, responding building alarms, to securing crime scenes (if the need arises).
Every unit has different hours and shifts.

We also have Civilian officers that work with us, but half of them are reservists and the other half are prior service.
Usually, if there's not a whole lot going on you'll get set up with some really good training.

Response by SGT Ej Taylor made Feb 10 at 2017 1:22 PM

SGT Ej Taylor — Fri, 10 Feb 2017 13:22:15 -0500

It was OK patrolling around base and pulling people over but I never wrote one ticked while in a garrison unit. I loved being in a combat mp platoon or company.

Response by SSG Michael LeGrand made Feb 11 at 2017 11:54 PM

SSG Michael LeGrand — Sat, 11 Feb 2017 23:54:42 -0500

Don't get caught up in the whole "garrison" MP and "field" MP thing because the concept is not the same as it use to be 10-15 years ago. I was in 1st Armored Division in Wiesbaden Germany and we did Law Enforcement just as much as we trained out in the field. Because of OIF and OEF we catered more to the "field" aspect of being an MP because the chances of deployment rose rapidly. It just depends on what unit you go to. You'll have alot of guys tell you "I hate being in garrison" and "I'm not a garrison MP" when 90% of them initially joined just so they could do the law enforcement aspect of it. Alot of MPs forget that there are two sides of the coin of what we do.

Response by PFC Frederick Morrow made Feb 15 at 2017 8:28 AM

PFC Frederick Morrow — Wed, 15 Feb 2017 08:28:41 -0500

I was stationed at Ft Stewart Ga back in 1982-84. I enjoyed road duty and field duty. I polished up on what was learned in basic and AIT. I'd do all over again with a few minor changes.

Response by SSG Chris McKee made Feb 15 at 2017 3:37 PM

SSG Chris McKee — Wed, 15 Feb 2017 15:37:27 -0500

It's like having an agency full of nothing but rookies itching to write a ticket

Response by SGT Jay Stone made Feb 17 at 2017 12:17 AM

SGT Jay Stone — Fri, 17 Feb 2017 00:17:45 -0500

If you like the law enforcement side of the MP Corps then you're gonna love it. You can get schooling that most field MP's don't get a chance at. Like SRT, MO, Hostage Negotiations,MPI,& Marajuana Eradication for example. If you don't like the law enforcement side, well then you're gonna hate it.

Response by PV2 Ricardo Friedman made Feb 18 at 2017 9:49 PM

PV2 Ricardo Friedman — Sat, 18 Feb 2017 21:49:33 -0500

It's like civilian police work but in a fort

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 27 at 2017 9:44 PM

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 27 Feb 2017 21:44:48 -0500

I went to Germany for three weeks with my last unit, and we were covering down for an active unit so they could go field train for a few weeks. Be prepared for stupid calls and lots of wrecks in the winter

Response by MSG Micheal P Floyd Jr made Feb 28 at 2017 8:04 AM

MSG Micheal P Floyd Jr — Tue, 28 Feb 2017 08:04:55 -0500

.... An assignment to a Garrison is the "Best" Tour an M.P. could ever have. There is an "Active" array of encounters from RAs and their desire to do something entertaining is the focus point of this assignment. Have fun, because all of those you encounter will be having fun in getting arrested.

Response by SPC Tim LaFountain made Mar 9 at 2017 10:34 AM

SPC Tim LaFountain — Thu, 09 Mar 2017 10:34:14 -0500

After MWD school I spent a year doing Physical Security in Korea, it wasn't until I went to my next duty station at FT Polk did I do garrison duty. It was relearning everything I was taught in AIT all over again, but I enjoyed the interaction with the military community that the job afforded.

Response by CPL Chris Goodson made Apr 6 at 2017 1:55 PM

CPL Chris Goodson — Thu, 06 Apr 2017 13:55:37 -0400

Good luck with that DA6 lol

Response by CPL Keith Briggs made May 14 at 2017 12:46 PM

CPL Keith Briggs — Sun, 14 May 2017 12:46:27 -0400

Combat mp all the way.

Response by SPC Ruben Marin made Jun 4 at 2017 10:21 AM

SPC Ruben Marin — Sun, 04 Jun 2017 10:21:26 -0400

It depends on the organization's MTOE. If their mission, training, and equipment reflect field work, you will do very little road work. You may have a month rotation of working the road while the other platoons train for the field. If you get stationed with a detachment like I did, you might as well forget about the field bc it basically doesn't exist. The unit is run like a civilian law enforcement. You may do PT on your own, work details, be assigned to a section, and you will patrol everyday, except on your scheduled days off. You will conduct some field training bc it's the Army and you have to be ready for everything, but there won't be much of it. I hope this helps.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 15 at 2020 2:45 PM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 15 Jan 2020 14:45:55 -0500

If you enjoy responding to domestic calls only to be attacked by the caller because she didn't want you to arrest her man, she just wanted you to make him stop beating her, then garrison MP is the job for you.....

Response by MAJ Ronnie Reams made Jul 2 at 2020 10:22 AM

MAJ Ronnie Reams — Thu, 02 Jul 2020 10:22:50 -0400

I would say it depends on the garrison. If there a lot of MP units there then not much to do unless the TOE MPs deploy, then it Katie bar the door. Bragg, for instance has/had the 58th MP Co as the Garrison MPs. HOWEVER, there was also, the 82dMP Company, the 118th MP Company and the 503rd MP Bn. These guys do the bulk of LE duty. 82d was very provincial and ran its own desk, etc. 82d did use the MP LOACHes from main post and when the weekend brawls got started at the Hilltop(?) NCO club, yelled help. LOL The 58th had the stockade and the Game Warden MPs (they had nice cabins out in range areas for quarters). When the TOE MP units went to riots, Dominican Republic, etc the 58th Cdr had to deputize cooks, clerks and jerks to ride the roads. LOL If you like the outdoors, and in a Garrison Company, the Game Warden MP is the way to go you have to go to USFW school and are deputized as a USFW agent. Your family would have to like living in the "sticks" LOL