Iraqi Police
In support of Operation Iraqi Freedom I, the 18th Military Police Brigade crossed into Iraq on 22 March 2003. During its year of deployment, the brigade established Prisoner of War holding areas for over 3,600 Iraqi prisoners and conducted main supply route patrolling over 2,500 kilometers in southern Iraq. The Brigade entered Baghdad in April 2003 and began establishing the new Iraqi Police Service and rebuilding Iraqi police stations. From the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom until February 2004 the Brigade provided command and control for seven Military Police battalions, one Mechanized Infantry battalion, 30 Military Police companies, and two Law and Order detachments. The Brigade’s MPs conducted over 24,000 combat patrols, apprehended over 2,400 criminals, confiscated 7,500 illegal weapons, and trained over 10,000 Iraqi police officers. During their deployment, the Brigade recovered several precious artifacts, such as the Mask of Warka, which was recovered on 23 September 2003. The brigade returned to Sandhofen in 2004 only to return to Iraq in 2007.