BAGHDAD POLICE COLLEGE: MORE THAN THE SCANDAL

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 001282 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/14/2017 TAGS: ASIG IZ KJUS MCAP MOPS PGOV SUBJECT: BAGHDAD POLICE COLLEGE: MORE THAN THE SCANDAL Classified By: A/Pol-Mil Counselor Apar Sidhu for reasons 1.4 (b/d) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: The Multinational Security Transition Command-Iraq continues efforts to establish a quality police training facility at the Baghdad Police College by this summer. Ongoing efforts include remedial construction at eight cadet barracks, facilities made infamous last fall because of the substandard work by the original American contractor. This entails the complete gutting of plumbing on the buildings' upper floors and the creation of external toilet facilities in the courtyard. Six instructor barracks buildings await positive soil samples to determine if remedial construction is even possible. END SUMMARY. -------------- Background -------------- ¶2. (C) The Baghdad Police College in Baghdad,s Rusafa district was the subject of a scathing report last fall by the Office of the Special Inspector General for Iraqi Reconstruction, which noted substandard work at the facility by the American contractor hired to renovate it. According to the report, the plumbing in the cadet barracks was in particularly bad shape, causing water and waste damage throughout the facility. -------------- Cadet Barracks: Much Work Still Remains -------------- ¶3. (C) On April 9, Pol-Mil Officer joined Major General Hunzeker, Commander of the Coalition,s Civilian Police Assistance Transition Team and Baghdad National Police College Commandant Major General Hussein on a tour of the Baghdad Police College. Hunzeker and Hussein were briefed by a coalition military engineer on the work that the new contractor, Laguna Corporation, must carry out to make the cadet,s barracks usable. These include: removing the second and third floor plumbing units of all eight student barracks and the repair of water damage to the building,s walls and ceilings. Laguna will build two large shower and toilet buildings in the courtyard areas as replacement facilities. Water damage was still visible in several areas of the building. Laguna, working under the supervision of the Army Corps of Engineers, hopes to have the repairs to the barracks completed by early summer. Laguna will also conduct remedial construction on six instructor barracks adjacent to the student barracks if the results of soil samples determine that these buildings are salvageable. �A; -------------- Iraqi Products Supporting Iraqi Police -------------- ¶5. (C) The College's Chief of Logistics, Major General Amir, showed Hunzeker and Hussein a large warehouse containing the equipment and clothing issued to incoming police cadets. The warehouse contained over USD 8 million of new Iraqi police uniforms, shoes, berets, and other clothing articles manufactured locally by Iraqi firms under contract to the college. Amir proudly noted the high quality of the Iraqi-made clothing. He said that contracting directly with local firms not only allowed him to purchase high quality products at a good price, but also provided him with the flexibility to upgrade uniform designs on short notice. As an example, he said that the next series of uniforms will have identification tags sewn into the inside shirt pockets and pants inseams as an anti-counterfeiting measure. -------------- Budget Execution Problems: A Familiar Story -------------- ¶6. (C) Amir stated that his main problem was "not logistical but financial." He argued that current GOI contracting law did not allow him sufficient independence in executing his budget, resulting in an excessively slow release of funds to pay for purchases. This, he said, forces him to make purchases in small lots that "choke" the flow of finished products to the college. He could be more effective, he said, if he had an independent budget to run the college. -------------- The Dining Facility: A Leadership Lesson -------------- ¶7. (C) During their tour of the college,s dining facility Hunzeker asked Hussein what he thought of the facility's food. In response, Hussein answered that "to be honest, I have never eaten here." Hunzeker told Hussein it was a good BAGHDAD 00001282 002 OF 002 leadership practice for officers to eat with their troops as often as possible. When asked his opinion on the dining facility, a cadet commented that his main complaint was that meal portions were "a bit skimpy." ¶8. (C) Several non-Iraqi instructors commented that while they often take bread from the facility, they never eat there as their own facility is better. Hunzeker also asked about a recent case of food poisoning in which over 150 cadets became sick. The food services provider stated that the food poisoning was not systemic and had probably resulted from an excessive delay in between the time the food was prepared and the time it was served to the cadets. He noted that over three thousand meals were served daily in the mess, with only "a small number" becoming sick in one instance. CROCKER