Civilian Police Assistance Training Team The Civilian Police Assistance Training Team or CPATT is a multinational advisory team operating within the US - led coalition in Iraq to rebuild the Iraqi Police . Its officially stated mission is ' In partnership with the Iraqi government , the Civilian Police Assistance Training Team ( CPATT ) assists in the development of the Ministry of Interior , ( MoI ) , and its Forces in order to contribute to the defeat of insurgency and to create a safe and secure Iraq in which the government can establish democratic rule of law . ' Organization . CPATT is commanded by US Major General Michael Jones and is headquartered in the International Zone , Green Zone , in Baghdad . It is one of three training teams which are part of MNSTC - I Multi - National Security Transition Command . CPATT is a subordinate command to the Multi - National Security Transition Command - Iraq ( MNSTC - I ) that was started by General David Petraeus during the start of the Iraq war . In executing its duties , CPATT funnels its funds into its stated mission to man , train , and equip the civil security forces of the Ministry of Interior in Iraq . This includes the Iraqi Police Service , the Department of Border Enforcement , the National Police and additional specialized units . The coalition civilian police personnel consist mainly of two groups . The International Police Liaison Officers ( IPLOs ) who are contracted directly through the US Department of State – Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs ( INL ) and the International Police Trainers ( IPTs ) who are contracted through the US Department of Justice . The United Kingdom provides trainers to the Baghdad facilities and the Basrah region . Smaller groups of police officers are provided by Italy ( Carabinieri ) , Canada , Denmark and the Czech Republic . History . On May 1 , 2003 the first civilian police advisors arrived in Iraq and began the process of assessing the training needs of the Iraqi police . The first civilian entity known as the Office for Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance ( ORHA ) , which was headed by retired US Army Lieutenant General Jay Garner . The successor to ORHA was the Coalition Provisional Authority ( CPA ) , headed by Ambassador L . Paul Bremer , who was the Civil Administrator . Ambassador Bremer appointed Iraqi officials to serve as the Iraq Governing Council and developed a longer term plan for conducting elections . CPATT was initially developed in response to an assessment report on Iraqi security forces and Coalition efforts at rebuilding them , prepared by a team headed by US Army retired Major General Karl Eikenberry . His report was delivered in early 2004 and it sought , in part , to replicate the successes for the Iraqi police that had been achieved by the Coalition Military Assistance Training Team ( CMATT ) for the Iraqi military . Lt Gen Ricardo Sanchez who commanded the Multi National Force - Iraq then set up a Police Working Group under the command of Brigadier Andrew Mackay to examine the extent of the problem , recommend solutions including the appropriate organisational structure . Some CPA policies dramatically affected the course and nature of police reconstitution programs . CPA Order Number One , entitled the “ De - Ba ’ athification of Iraqi Society , ” dismissed all persons holding any of the top four ranks in the Ba ’ ath Party from their positions and further forbade them to hold a position in a future Iraqi government . Under Saddam Hussein ’ s regime , in order to hold a high rank in a government concern , it was virtually mandatory to also hold a high rank in the Ba ’ ath Party . By dismissing such great numbers of government employees out of hand , the CPA also lost some badly needed institutional knowledge on how government agencies functioned and how problems might best be attacked . In March 2004 , Brigadier Andrew Mackay of the UK Army was appointed as the first Commanding General of CPATT . Initially , CPATT was subordinate to Major General Eaton and the Office of Security Transition ( OST ) , but in June 2004 , the Multi - National Security Transition Command – Iraq ( MNSTC - I ) was established and LTG David Petraeus appointed as its Commanding General . In 2008 ( MNSTC - I ) reorganized creating two Directorates the Directorate of Interior Affairs ( DoIA ) and the Directorate of Defense Affairs ( DDA ) , CPATT currently led by Major General Nelson J . Cannon is now a subornidate of DoIA .