Army CID could be turned over to civilians, but opposition lingers

SFC Melvin Brandenburg - What does the structure have to do with the offenders?

"Military police “are going to resist this tooth and nail because it is a threat to their force structure,” said one source familiar with the proposals. But a civilian-led CID would create a “more experienced organization” better at “investigating and managing these complex cases” involving sexual assault and murder, the source added."

Wouldn't it be better to have a more experienced organization that can actually investigate complex cases like murder and sexual assault - and result in more convictions?

The catalyst seems to be Fort Hood:

"The Fort Hood CID detachment was “basically being used as a training ground,” Chris Swecker, a former FBI inspector who served on the committee, said in December. “They had a difficult time, and it’s not their fault.”

Agents who spoke to Army Times in the wake of the Fort Hood report said that CID’s leadership structure is largely to blame. Despite similar names, military police officers are not special agents — a job that is only held by enlisted soldiers and warrants."

"“The easiest way to put this is, an aviation colonel can fly and an armor colonel can drive a tank. They’ve done it before,” said one source. But there are military police officers “who have never worked a murder. You’d think they have these experiences, but they don’t.”

The dynamic exists not just at Fort Hood, but across the Army, and now the service is weighing at least two options to address it, according to the briefing documents."

So if you have MP officers who have never worked a murder and have zero experience with these cases...

I think whatever needs done to improve them should be done. Not focusing on the monetary value of it.

SFC Kelly Fuerhoff I'm in favor of better training so our forces are more effective. I think possibly a stint in a major crimes unit of a police department and requiring similar training in addition to current CID training would be more effective than outsourcing.

SFC Melvin Brandenburg - It wouldn't be outsourcing from what I'm reading in this article. The Navy already does it with NCIS - it's civilian ran and headed by civilian LE professional who reports directly to SECNAVY. I don't know exactly how it works for them but they're doing it.

SFC Melvin Brandenburg the blame for poor investigations? Unlikely.