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Bastogne MPs protect the streets at night

Written by Sgt. Jon Heinrich
1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (AA) Public Affairs

BastogneFort Campbell KY, 101st Airborne Division

Fort Campbell, KY – Through freezing temperatures, long hours and negative weather, military police from the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, keep the community safe every night by conducting patrols around post.

The MPs begin every night conducting physical training from 6:00pm until 7:30pm, followed by inspections and pre-mission briefs before working the midnight shift, which starts at 10:00pm and finishes at 5:00am, then they set up traffic control points around post from 5:00am – 6:00am to help in directing traffic in the morning.

Staff Sgt. Robert J. Streit, patrol supervisor from Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Special Troops Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, secures the equipment lock boxes located in the back of his vehicle Oct. 17th outside the post police station during his vehicle inspection before heading out on patrol. (Photo by Sgt. Jon Heinrich)
Staff Sgt. Robert J. Streit, patrol supervisor from Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Special Troops Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, secures the equipment lock boxes located in the back of his vehicle Oct. 17th outside the post police station during his vehicle inspection before heading out on patrol. (Photo by Sgt. Jon Heinrich)

Staff Sgt. Robert J. Streit, patrol supervisor from Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Special Troops Battalion, 1st BCT, with more than 10 years experience as an MP, says the brigade’s MPs first had to go through training since arriving back from deployment before they could patrol the streets.

“When we came back from deployment we had a three-page checklist we had to cover ourselves,” said Streit. “Once we certified all that, we conducted an eight-day Law Enforcement Training Course conducted by the 716th MP Battalion. During that is when we got all our certifications for the Oleoresin Capsicum spray, which you actually had to be sprayed by OC.

“We had to be trained on unarmed self defense, all that fun stuff,” continued Streit. “We actually had to go through driving under the influence and field sobriety test. They actually had people in a controlled setting get drunk, and then we had to conduct Field Sobriety Tests on them just to get an idea what to look for and everything.”

Spc. Ryan P. Carroll, a patrolman with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Special Troops Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, controls traffic at his Traffic Control Point, October 17th, at the intersection of Indiana Avenue and Bastogne Street. (Photo by Sgt. Jon Heinrich)
Spc. Ryan P. Carroll, a patrolman with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Special Troops Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, controls traffic at his Traffic Control Point, October 17th, at the intersection of Indiana Avenue and Bastogne Street. (Photo by Sgt. Jon Heinrich)

MPs have several different tools they use while on patrol, some of which include pistols, shotguns, handcuffs, Asp batons and flashlights. They also have a Computer Automated Device within each vehicle to help track calls that come in.

“The CAD, what it allows me to do, you can pull a map up on it, and it tracks Fort Campbell,” said Streit. “It’s basically a GPS. You also have the instant message capability, which helps to keep traffic off the radio.

“This also allows me to know anything’s going on right now,” Streit added. “I can see what patrols were called to it, what the call was about and track everything. Once I open the details I can pull the map up, and it will tell me specifically where it’s at.”

Streit says that on average they get about five to 10 calls a night. Among the various calls that come in during the night, the 1st BCT MPs typically tend to deal with domestic disturbances, shots heard on post, noise complaints, DUIs, break-ins and even housing checks.

“If you go on vacation you can let the housing office know that you request an MP to check and make sure everything’s ok,” stated Streit. “If it’s vacant the housing can request that we check on those as well.”

“I like being an MP,” stated Streit. “The diversity of the fact that when we’re back, everybody else is either training or they don’t have anything to do. We always have something to do.”

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