posted on Sep, 3 2006 @ 01:17 AM
Wow, what a video, thanks a lot!!!
There was something in that video that made the hair on my neck stand up, really scared the crap out of me...
My National Guard unit is an MP unit. Most of my Guard career has been as an MP and I've seen a lot. During about 2002-2003 we spent countless drills
showing non-MP units how to conduct roadblocks, checkpoints, and search vehicles. I know what you are going to say-- the whole "FP" versus "MP"
thing, shortage of MPs and using other MOSs to fill MP positions (especially gate guards), etc. If you need proof, ask anyone who has passed through
the gates at Camp Edwards, MA, since 2001. They have people on the gates who have every MOS conceivable, doing what only MPs used to do, under the
nomenclature of "Force Protection."
Read on...
We always had a State Trooper there with us, because (this was blatantly told to us, it was not a secret) we were told that we had to learn how to
deal with civilians and stopping and searching their vehicles while adhering to proper procedure in accordance with state law (trust me, we have some
odd case law about MV stops in this state). We trained alongside non-MP units, with us usually showing them what to do, and those of us who are
actually trained in the state-approved police academy ensuring that the procedure followed was correct. Once we became proficient, we trained off base
at armories and had family members (civilians) come in and role play, complete with hidden props in the vehicle for us to find.
The training went into detail far beyond what the regular police academy does, down to the point of identifying man-made or recent welds to a car
versus assembly-line robot welds (possible hidden compartment), how to search behind a headliner for booby traps, etc.
I thought nothing of it at the time, it just seemed routine, and NOBODY questioned it, but after viewing that video...wow is all I can
say...wow...that is exactly what we were training to do!!!