Volume 44, Issue 4. Today is
Director of College Safety to teach in Afghanistan
Steve Corich, director of College Safety, is leaving on Oct. 21 to begin a 12-month mission to Afghanistan in a State Department effort to westernize Afghani law enforcement.
“The biggest problem is that there is no formal training for officers over there. The idea of the mission is to provide them with western-style police training, the emphasis on upholding the civil rights of citizens,” Corich said.
The training has been in the hands of Germany until recently. The United States, Canada, and a handful of other countries will be cooperating to provide standardized training that will be across Afghanistan.
After 12 days of firearms and cultural-sensitivity training in Virginia, Corich could be sent anywhere from Kabul, to the Iranian border, or to the central region of the country.His stay could be in a city or in barracks on the outskirts, the possibility of living in tents in the desert is also very real.
The uncertainty of location “makes me a little nervous, but the areas we will be in should be well secured by the military.”
Police ethics will also play a major part of the training regimen in Afghanistan.
Currently, most of the opium used in heroin production throughout the world is harvested on Afghan soil, and it is not uncommon for untrained officers to take bribes in exchange for passage of illicit cargo.
The trainees will be existing police officers.According to Corich, the training will resemble American police academy style; however, everything will be dictated through a translator.
“That could slow things down a little,” Corich said. “They don’t speak English, and I don’t speak Afghani.” Much of the training will involve observation in the field and teaching while on the job. Afghani police will also be receiving tactical firearms education.
Corich hopes to be a mentor to the trainees and to provide them with the knowledge necessary to maintain control of their cities without infringing upon the rights of citizens.