“CSI: Baghdad” Premieres – By Navy Journalist 2nd Class John J. Pistone

October 16, 2006 Crime, Don'tcha Just Love It?, Good News from Iraq, Iraq, War in Iraq Comments

From the latest Multi-National Force Bulletin from Iraq. Don’t you just love it? From our top-of-the-line crack reporters on the front lines, Navy Journalist 2nd Class John J. Pistone.

From Pistone’s piece:

BAGHDAD â€” â€œThere is no such thing as a perfect crime, as there are always clues left behindâ€ is a phrase that is often echoed in police circles all around the world. Detectives and analysts say a good forensics investigation will always lead to the perpetrator.

By unveiling the National Forensics Academy in Baghdad Oct. 2, the Iraqi Police told the world the same rings true in Iraq and they are committed to training their crime scene investigators in forensics.

The ceremony featured a walk-through of the academy and showcased new crime scene investigation equipment. Iraqi Police Capt. Sabah, an 11-year forensics investigator and one of the academyâ€™s instructors, said the new academy will train the police in many new methods to detect and investigate crime.

â€œIn the former regime there was a block between Iraqis and the world. We had some very experienced investigators but we lacked the scientific knowledge and new equipment, which the other countries had,â€ Sabah said with the help of an interpreter. â€œBut since the fall of Saddam, we have been able to get new equipment and technologies. Now that we have this academy, we can use these tools to train our future investigators,â€ he added.

The article goes on to say:

â€œCrime scene investigation is the backbone of an investigation, no matter how good the crime is, we are always gathering evidence to solve it,â€ Sabah said. â€œIn our language we call it â€˜the things which are behind the curtainâ€™ because we are always working behind the scenes.â€

Sabah said he is excited at the prospect of teaching investigative skills to many more police officers.

According to Mike Hallmark, a specialized police units coordinator with MNSTC-Iâ€™s Civilian Police Assistant Training Team, the Baghdad Police College currently conducts a 30- day crime scene investigators course that is run by Iraqi personnel from the Baghdad Crime Lab. He said this course will soon be taught at the new forensics academy.

â€œAbout 18 months ago we put together a train-the-trainer course where we trained a dozen investigators as instructors and to date they have trained 232 investigators all over the country,â€ Hallmark said. â€œNow, because of this facility, we can have the Iraqi instructors from the crime lab conduct basic courses and bring in guests to train in special courses. We anticipate bringing in guest instructors from all over the world to train students in such disciplines as ballistics, chemical lab, photography or any other discipline that they need,â€ he added.

Look out Grissom… you could be looking at your next CSI franchise! And all those naysayers out there who didn’t think they even had basic education there??? Puhlease! Our men and women in the U.S. Armed Forces are helping the Iraqis get back into the current century, and it seems their students are more than eager and willing to learn! Look out, Mahdi Army! CSI Baghdad’s coming to get you! And it’s also so they ‘don’t get fooled again’ by the likes of the foreign insurgents. They got their eyes (and microscopes, swabs, labs, test kits, finger-dusting kits, DNA testing, Luminol, etc.) focused right on YOU, bad guys!

Bad terrorists, bad terrorists… what’cha gonna do… what’cha gonna do when BCSI comes for you?