Col. Muhammad Mohsin, the Zaab police chief, shakes hands with Lt. Col. David Lesperance, the commander of 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, during a validation ceremony held in Hawijah, Iraq, March 3...

Lt. Col. David Lesperance, the commander of 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, gives a certificate to Col. Muhammad Mohsin, the Zaab police chief, during a validation ceremony held in Hawijah, Iraq, Ma...

An Iraqi policeman gives a speech at the Zaab Police Station validation ceremony to guests that include Maj. Gen Jamal Tahir Bakir, the Kirkuk province police chief, and Lt. Col. David Lesperance, the commander of 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment,...

FORWARD OPERATING BASE WARRIOR, Kirkuk, Iraq - The Zaab Police Station was validated March 31 at a ceremony in Hawijah, Iraq.

"Being validated means that, as a station, they have qualified in a number of tasks, including everything from evidence processing to detainee handling," said 2nd Lt. Lee Roberts, a task force fire support officer for 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division.

Roberts said policemen from the town of Zaab have been working closely with U.S. military police transition teams on tasks the officers will need to know in order to work without U.S. military support.

"By successfully earning validation, the Zaab police have demonstrated through actions, not just words, that they possess competence and confidence in the skills necessary to serve and protect the people of Zaab," said Lt. Col. David Lesperance, the commander of 1st Bn., 8th Cav. Regt. "They have demonstrated that they are fully capable."

The validation of police stations shows the progress IPs are making to improve security and the quality of life of the citizens they serve, said Lesperance.

"The Iraqi Police are the cornerstone of security and the only legitimate stewards of the rule of law in cities, towns, and villages in Iraq," Lesperance added.

"The Iraqi Police are working hard and giving us security around our cities," said Hussein Ali Saleh, the district council chairman. "I hope that all the Iraqi Police stations do as well as the Zaab station."

The validation of police stations is a big step forward for the Iraqi Police, and exemplifies the progress they have made in recent months, said Roberts.

"It used to be a big achievement to just have an IP station up and running. This is a whole new level; they are actually performing their tasks to a standard," said Roberts. "It's not just doing what they are supposed to do, but doing it well."

"Today we can say Kirkuk Province has some of the best IPs in all of Iraq," said Maj. Gen. Jamal Tahir Bakir, the Kirkuk Provincial Director of Police.