Intelligence: Cops

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April 15,2008: One type of soldier that is particularly popular in Iraq are reservists whose civilian job is as policemen. These guys are particularly popular if they are back for a second tour. The reason is simple, the cops have "street smarts." They have a better sense of what is suspicious, what "doesn't look right." And after one tour, they are attuned to the different street vibe found in Iraq. This is an even more valuable skill now, with more operations seeking to find terrorists groups that are running for cover and trying to keep themselves, and their equipment, hidden. The first two waves of reservists (who arrived in 2004 and 2005) taught the army and marines a lot about how police techniques are very applicable, and useful, for counter-terror operations. But over the last six years, the police reservists have had time to exchange experiences and observations with each other, and military personnel in general (largely via the Internet). This has led to some major changes in the way the military conducts counter-terror operations. The individual cops themselves, both beat police and detectives, find themselves much in demand for their ability to see what everyone else misses, and for passing those skills on.

 

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