El Cerrito PD Trains 870th MPs

Article and photos by Spc. Danica Cho

13 March 2014

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, Calif. – “Stop! Military Police! Get your hands in the air!” barks an 870th Military Police (MP) Company Soldier. He is responding to a robbery-in-progress alarm, cautiously aiming his pistol at a hooded suspect who quickly rushes out of a building.

The suspect surrenders his arms into the air and is ordered to lay face-down on the ground. The MP re-holsters his pistol and crouches over the suspect to search for contraband. Dark gray clouds cover the morning sky as cold rain pelts relentlessly on the MP, mixing with warm droplets of sweat collecting on his forehead and fogging up his glasses.

His team partner stands nearby, positioning himself as the over-watch “cover” officer by maintaining a vigilant pistol over the suspect. The procedural search seems to go well, when all of a sudden – –

“Got a gun! Got a gun!” shouts the MP, as he suddenly discovers a pistol hiding in the suspect’s pocket. He immediately secures the weapon, grabs the suspect’s wrists and places him under arrest.

Such was the scene on February 28, 2014, when Soldiers of the 870th MP Company, based in Pittsburg, California, received civilian law enforcement training by officers from the El Cerrito Police Department. Training included learning how to respond to a robbery-in-progress alarm, high risk pedestrian stop, pedestrian encounter, building alarm, traffic stop and high risk vehicle stop.

Soldiers partnered into teams, tactically handled artificial pistols and rifles, and rotated to six scenarios within a large parking lot throughout the day. Each scenario involved at least one suspect or acting civilian. Official El Cerrito Police Department patrol vehicles surrounded the lot, in which Soldiers were allowed to sit in the front seats, activate the flashing blue-and-red police lights, tactically dismount, issue commands to suspects and apply search and arrest procedures.

After each scenario, El Cerrito police instructors critiqued each team’s response and demonstrated methods for improvement. Special emphasis was placed on following proper safety procedures, such as how to avoid fratricide while maneuvering tactically to “clear” an area. It was the kind of raw, adrenalin-pumping police training that 870th MPs eagerly look forward to.

For 870th MP Company’s command staff, the training event was an avenue for improving collaboration and inter-operability between its Soldiers and civilian police officers.

“The strategic goal [of this training] is to develop a partnership with our local law enforcement agencies and provide them aid in the event of emergencies,” explains Capt. William L. Anderson, Commander of 870th MP Company. “It is important for our Soldiers to understand their roles as a support element to civil authorities….The interaction and additional training between us and police departments shows our involvement in our communities as a working team. This fosters a positive relationship which can help our Quick Reaction Force operations.”

The 870th MP Company has extensive experience as a Quick Reaction Force. In 2011 during Operation Enduring Freedom, the unit deployed to eastern Afghanistan to conduct security forces, with an emphasis on developing the Afghan police and as the Quick Reaction Force for Khost Province. Currently, 870th MP Company is designated as the Quick Reaction Force for the northern California region, to provide emergency assistance for security threats, natural disasters and civil disturbances on short notice.

“The over-arching intent is that we get to know each other before an emergency,” states El Cerrito Police Chief Sylvia Moir, who is also on the California Police Chiefs Association Executive Board and the Chair of the Training Committee. “I have a friend that often says, that the worst time to hand out business cards and introduce yourself to someone, is at a disaster.”

“I think what you’ve seen is the very beginning of a relationship of training, collaboration and communication that is long overdue,” Moir continues. “The training will help build not only our relationships, but help make us all more proficient in the service that we provide….So, supporting each other is absolutely essential.”

“During an actual Military Support to Civilian Authorities (MSCA), it is imperative we, as Soldiers, know what is expected of us from local law enforcement,” agrees 1st Sgt. Brock Kelly, Senior NCO of 870th MP Company. “One of the most crucial skills that MPs need to improve on is garrison police operations…. Training with several law enforcement agencies allows the Soldiers to have a mental and tactical tool box, of how to adapt and handle various situations on the streets….We have been in a war time environment for well over a decade and have perfected our combat war craft, but now need to transition back to normal policing.”

Sgt. Flavio Meiorin, an 870th MP Company Soldier, also recognized the need for bridging the gap between military policing and civilian law enforcement. Meiorin, who is also a 28-year veteran of the El Cerrito Police Department and currently a Reserve Captain, coordinated the training as a dedicated liaison.

In addition to learning tactical skills in civilian law enforcement, 870th MP Company Soldiers learned that policing is not just about busting down doors, storming into buildings and arresting perpetrators. Policing is also about maintaining positive relations with the public, as a service-based organization. Soldiers learned lessons on how to improve communication skills by practicing social diplomacy, tact and professionalism through role-playing during the various police response scenarios.

“We all have to deal with people, through the relationships that we have,” emphasizes Lieutenant Steve Bonini, an El Cerrito Police Department Field Operations Officer who supervised the training, “not only with each other, but with the citizens that we serve.”

“It was a great opportunity to get some training done with El Cerrito Police Department,” concludes Private First Class Roger Reyes, an 870th MP Company Soldier. “We learned a lot of the civilian officer side of what they do, compared to what we do as MPs. It gave us a chance to take in some of their strategies and thoughts, which would help us use these tools, if ever we were to be activated.”

This new insight into police techniques and procedures that Soldiers have gained, from the knowledge, skills and experience of highly-trained El Cerrito police officers, has strengthened 870th MP Company as a ready and proficient military police force.

In May of 2014, in addition to its current duty as the Quick Reaction Force for the northern California region, 870th MP Company will take on a dual role as the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s regional Homeland Response Force, to respond to Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and High explosive (CBRNE) incident sites.

Learn more about 870th MP Company at www.870thMP.com.