All in a day's work

By Ms Brittany Carlson (IMCOM)March 7, 2012

All in a day's work
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All in a day's work
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All in a day's work
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FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. -- The workday for a military police Soldier on road patrol starts early -- and each day comes with the unexpected.

However, it's all part of a day's work for Fort Leonard Wood's protecting force: the MPs assigned to the 252nd Military Police Detachment.

(Editor's Note: The following is a realtime account of events that happened during a road patrol on Fort Leonard Wood March 2.)

6 a.m.

As the day shift begins, Sgt. Heath Hayes, noncommissioned officer-in-charge of Fort Leonard Wood's traffic management section, checks his email one last time.

"MPs get a lot of taskings. I check my calendar every single morning," he says before heading to the arms room for his gun and ammunition.

Before leaving the MP station, or Provost Marshal Office, Hayes checks his gear: a "second-chance vest," a 9 mm pistol, two magazines of ammo, two sets of handcuffs, OC spray and a radio.

He also checks his radar and inspects his vehicle. "You always make sure the vehicle's in top shape before taking the road with it," he says.

6:30 a.m.

Since it's Friday, Hayes is on the "days enforcement" shift. This means he will supervise everyone in the traffic section that is patrolling: today, it's Spc. Thomas Zahniser, driving a regular MP traffic car.

While regularly checking in with Zahniser, Hayes decides to park by the front gate.

"Having an MP out (and visible) is the biggest deterrent of (traffic) crime," he says.

7:30 a.m.

Hayes goes back to patrolling the streets.

While cruising, he plays a kind of guessing game: he observes vehicles, guesses their speed, then uses his radar (which can detect cars in front and behind his vehicle) to confirm his guess.

Most of the time, he's dead center.

Hayes said he normally doesn't pull cars over for speeding less than 10 miles over the limit, but may flash his lights or get a driver's attention to let them know he's watching.

Mainly, "I look for cell phones, seat belts (not being worn)," he says. "You just have to justify why you pulled somebody over."

While Hayes is checking bus stops in the housing area to make sure children aren't playing in the street, Zahniser radios in a speeding stop and Hayes changes course.

When he arrives, Zahniser is giving out a warning for speeding.

Warnings for speeding are common here. Unlike in some civilian environments, in which policemen need to meet a quota of tickets, MPs are not required to give out tickets, but protect the community first, Hayes says. "It's more a public service."

When people get pulled over, "a lot of people thank you, believe it or not," he says.

8:30 a.m.

Hayes checks in with Master Sgt. John Arnet, the operations NCOIC for the Fort Leonard Wood's Directorate of Emergency Services. Arnet offers a breakdown of an MP's responsibilities on the road.

"There are 63,000 square acres on the installation footprint, (and) 54,000 people on average on base," Arnet says. "It's busy."

While certain MPs are assigned to the traffic section, MPs on road patrol come from various units. They all get assigned specific traffic cases as they happen during the day.

"We average normally four to six cases a day," Arnet says. "A case can be anything from a dog bite to stolen property or a larceny at the PX."

9 a.m.

Hayes is back on the road, looking around for anything suspicious, such as cars with missing license plates or groups of people congregating in unusual places.

"One of your main jobs is to notice things that make you go 'hmmm,'" Hayes says.

He uses FLW regulation 190-5, which lists the traffic laws for driving on post, as a guide.

While parts of the day might seem slow, "You never know what's going to happen in this job," Hayes says. "It surprises you what you roll up on sometimes."

During an average shift on the road, Hayes makes five to 25 traffic stops, ranging from a simple speeding stop to a traffic accident.

"The coolest thing about the traffic section … is we get to assist people that are having bad days," Hayes says. "We get to assist people with their problems. If they're injured, you get to be the first responder. Of course, you take care of the safety of everybody else and the traffic flow. And then after that, you get to assess the crime -- either a crime scene or a traffic accident -- and put together what happened. It's a reward in itself to … come up with a conclusion on these things."

9:30 a.m.

Hayes uses the lull in the morning to set up a speed cart on Nebraska Avenue in order to take a "traffic survey."

The screen is set up to be blank, instead of showing the speed of passing cars, so that drivers will believe the speed camera is broken. In reality, the speed cart will record the speed of every car that passes over the course of a few days. Hayes plans to use the data to determine whether or not it is necessary to lower the speed limit on that street.

10 a.m.

Hayes checks an electrical power supply area, one of 180 security checkpoints on Fort Leonard Wood. Every day, all three shifts of MPs on road patrol visit all of the checkpoints to make sure the post is secure.

Next, he visits some "problem areas" for speeders, such as Indiana Avenue, which has a section that goes from 35 mph to 10 mph on a tight curve.

He also stops by the PX and patrols some housing areas.

11 a.m.

Hayes and Zahniser are about to break for lunch when Zahniser spots a speeder driving 36 mph in a 20 mph zone.

After that, there's a speeder in a school zone and a call from the MP desk that someone has reported damage to property. So much for lunch.

Noon

A regular patrol car radios in that they spotted someone making a right-hand turn from the left-hand lane.

Then, Hayes' radio picks up another call for MP assistance -- someone in family housing has had an allergic reaction. A patrol car radios in that they're on the way, along with medical personnel.

After checking on the allergic reaction, Hayes visits another MP, who is manning a school crosswalk.

1 p.m.

Zahniser gets a call to investigate a traffic accident in the PX parking lot, and Hayes stops by to supervise. It's a minor accident with no injuries, so Zahniser fills out a "short form," instead of initiating a case investigation.

Soon afterward, Hayes spots a female driver talking on a cell phone without a hands-free device. This is a case where drivers don't get warnings.

He flips his lights on, pulls the driver over and issues her a ticket and a fine for $75.

Then, he heads back to the office to write out the citation.

2 p.m.

Hayes clears his weapon and turns in his gear to end his shift.

Then, it's time for a final email check.

Normally, Hayes handles paperwork for the many traffic cases that come in, so he'll have to catch up on Monday. He also manages the Soldiers in his office, from counseling and promotion packets to housing and Family issues.

"Not only do we have this full-time, 24-hour, seven-day-a-week job, but we also have the Army portion as well," he says.

He plans to head home once he makes sure everyone is taken care of.

"Our quality of work is what we pride ourselves on," he adds. "You stay until the work is complete."