Local soldiers train for rioting
Published April 17, 2007
A local military police division of the Missouri National Guard spent Sunday at the Missouri Task Force 1 Training Site learning and practicing techniques for handling civil disturbance situations.
The 1140th Military Police Company of the 175th Military Police Battalion, which is based in Columbia and Fulton, underwent training for controlling riot situations. About 85 soldiers attended Sunday's training, said Robyn Correll, an MU junior and spokeswoman for the 175th Military Police Battalion. Correll has previously worked for The Maneater.
During their training, the company divided into three platoons to practice blocks and patterns of movement, using wooden sticks as weapons. In a real civil disturbance situation, the soldiers would also carry shields to protect themselves.
The battalion learns new techniques in a three-phase process, Correll said.
In the crawl phase, the soldiers are in a classroom and learn techniques on paper. In the walk phase, the soldiers walk through their plan without a target. In the run phase, the soldiers practice their tactics against one another.
Non-commissioned officers were on hand to advise the soldiers about proper technique.
"Touch his elbow," Staff Sgt. Marvin Rowland said during the walk phase after seeing two soldiers standing next to one another. "That's how close you want to be. That's how you know he's there. That's the way no one breaks through the fucking line."
Sgt. 1st Class Brian Kirkpatrick advised another platoon about following an order from a commander to advance.
"When you get a command, go 'Step, hoah! Step, hoah!'" he said, stepping forward and making accompanying sounds. "Put a little fear in their heart."
He said the noises would help to restore order.
After the platoons completed their second round of training, several non-commissioned officers took off their load-bearing equipment and acted as rioters for the soldiers to try to contain during the run phase of the training.
The soldiers acting as rioters attempted to get past the soldiers acting as a line of defense.
After a soldier portraying a rioter broke through the line of defense, soldiers on either side of the rioter would step over to fill in the hole in the line while other soldiers would try to restrain him and press him to the ground.
In a real civil disturbance situation, the rioter would be handcuffed and evacuated from the area, Capt. Rick Fox said.
"We don't hurt them," he said. "We just keep them from hurting us or someone else."
Kirkpatrick advised the soldiers about the proper response to a civilian's engaging in aggressive behavior.
"Now he's got a weapon," he said. "Now what does that mean? He is fair game. If he engages with a weapon, he is fair game."
Kirkpatrick said "fair game" means the person has "escalated the resistance," and if someone engages the soldiers with a weapon, more force can be used to get the situation under control.
Correll said guidelines exist for engaging in altercations with civilians.
"They want to act as efficiently as possible with as little injury as possible — to them and to civilians," she said.
After the simulation was complete, the soldiers gathered together while the leaders conducted an after-action review in which the group discussed the day's events.
The soldiers spoke about what parts of the day went well and what they would do differently in their next practice.
"Remember, this is training," Fox said to the soldiers. "If you got punched or stepped on, don't take it personal. Don't hold a grudge."
The battalion could be activated and sent to anywhere in the state to control a civil disturbance. The governor is responsible for activating Missouri National Guard soldiers.
"In general, for the governor to activate us, there would have to be a natural disaster or a riot in a major city," 2nd Lt. Tyler Rinehart said.
Rinehart is pursuing a bachelor's degree in fisheries and wildlife at MU.
He has been with the 175th Battalion for a year and with the 1140th Company for nine months.
The battalion was not activated for the March 10 National Socialist Movement demonstration, Correll said.
She said the protest would be a perfect example of a situation that the battalion would handle, but the Columbia Police Department did not request the battalion's activation.