Posted on Jul 11, 2017
SGT Dave Tracy
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My old squad leader claimed he was temporarily farmed out to CID & tasked with helping in a criminal investigation at different unit.

I don't buy it, but others claim they "knew someone who knew someone". M-kay. Can CID really make soldiers defacto investigators (NOT traditional informants) to include attaching them to a whole different unit, with NO education/training in criminal investigation?
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Responses: 17
CW3 Counterintelligence Technician
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So I see none of my CID counter-parts have answered yet so I'll tell you what I know. First, for a little background on myself, I have worked some cases in the past with CID as a CI Special Agent in a field office (when I was with the 902nd--they were cases that involved alleged support to terrorism which is where CID and CI often cross paths). In any case, I did see actual MPs working in some CID field offices at this time in addition to plain clothes MP's conducting investigations, but these were exclusively MPI's (Military Police Investigators--MP's that have been to MPI school and have a V5 ASI I believe. They handle various cases that CID can't get to--mostly misdemeanors requiring follow-up investigation if I'm not mistaken). I have not personally seen but have heard from some of my MP friends that they have also assisted CID in the past but nothing too in-depth. My understanding is that regular every day run-of-the-mill MP's have very limited investigative training. However, based on what I said above I wouldn't put it past the realm of possibility. With that, the person you describe does not sound like he meets any of these requirements and may just be exaggerating or outright lying to look cool. But, without knowing more about him there is no way I could tell you for sure. I would take anything he says with a grain of salt based on what you are saying.
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CW3 Counterintelligence Technician
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7 y
SGT Dave Tracy - Yeah.... Maybe CID was actually investigating him...
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SGT Dave Tracy
SGT Dave Tracy
7 y
CW3 (Join to see) - LOL! Well, he could be quick tempered, but I doubt he did anything "interesting" in his misspent youth! And if he did, y'all never got him, because he's moved on and is E7 now.
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CW3 Counterintelligence Technician
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7 y
SGT Dave Tracy - Well just because someone is investigated doesn't mean they are guilty!
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SGT Dave Tracy
SGT Dave Tracy
7 y
CW3 (Join to see) - Chief, are you trying to take all my fun away?????

;-)
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MSgt Steven Holt, NRP, CCEMT-P
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Gonna call BS on this one. I can see maybe using the member as a confidential informant but definitely not as an active investigator. That takes specialized training the average "beat cop" just doesn't receive.
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CW3 Counterintelligence Technician
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7 y
I know we are talking military police here, but I will say at some civilian police departments (especially those in CA), "beat" cops do actually get investigative training at the basic academy level. Of course, this is one of the reasons why CA police academies are longer than a lot of other states (roughly seven months give or take 2 weeks depending on the specific academy in the state). At any rate, this is why in CA departments you can go from being a standard patrol officer to detective/investigator with no additional academy needed.
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MSgt Steven Holt, NRP, CCEMT-P
MSgt Steven Holt, NRP, CCEMT-P
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CW3 (Join to see) - The only training I got from the Academy was "Don't touch anything and wait for the Detective to show up". I'm glad to hear other locations are more advanced and willing to teach more skills.
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CW3 Counterintelligence Technician
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7 y
MSgt Steven Holt, NRP, CCEMT-P - I have heard similar things from others. I know now training varies heavily from agency to agency, and even more so state to state. I was actually surprised when I first got into the academy to get training in things like death investigations, sex crimes, and even basic crime scene processing. In fact, even as just a patrol officer when I first started I was amazed on the level of investigative acts I was able to do just as a standard beat cop. A lot of people in the public don't realize, that many times detectives aren't available, or even at some smaller departments, patrol officers are also the detectives (and even some just rotate the positions on a two or three year basis).
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PFC David Gettman
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Edited 7 y ago
Can't answer your question but I wanted to share a CID story from a long time ago. I think the statute of limitations has come and gone. ;-)

In 1973 I was part of a small detachment of MP's from Company A, 385th MP Bn, 15th MP Brigade, in Neu Ulm, Germany. There were maybe 20 of us in the detachment. I was the senior patrolman on day shift one day and was in a restricted area at an ammo dump, 4-wheeling in my new M151A2. Wasn't supposed to be there, but there were some good hills to climb and there was nothing going on that day.

I was following the trail around the perimeter fence and was part way up one particularly steep incline when I spotted an OD green canvas satchel lying next to the fence. I backed the jeep down and walked back up to get it. Looked inside and didn't know what it was so I figured I had better take it to the MP station despite having to admit where I found it.

Turned it in to the desk sergeant and he went ballistic, yelling for our MPI agent. The MPI agent went ballistic and started yelling for our CID agent. The CID agent went ballistic and tried to give it back to me, telling me to put it back where I found it and not to say anything to anybody. Turns out it was a satchel of C-4 and nobody wanted to be responsible. I refused to take it back and they were still arguing over it when I left. No idea whatever happened to it.
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SGT Dave Tracy
SGT Dave Tracy
7 y
Great story!
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