Deputy returns home after training Iraqi police officers
By Evan Carden SA Editor

Washington County Deputy Mike Ready (right) with several of the officer trainees he instructed during his six months in Baghdad, Iraq. Ready was employed by a company that contracts with the U.S. Department of Defense to train Iraqi police officers.

Six months is a long time to be away from friends and family, but in a war zone, it can seem twice as long.

Washington County Deputy Mike Ready recently returned home after six months in Baghdad, Iraq, where he helped train several thousand Iraqis to become police officers. He went there as an employee of Military Professional Resources Inc., which

contracts with the U.S. Department of Defense to train the Iraqis who are preparing to take over the policing of their country.

While there, Ready was stationed at Baghdad Police College where he trained Iraqi intelligence and border patrol agents as well as teaching police officer trainees techniques in criminal investigations, dealing with sexual assaults, fingerprinting, burglaries, photographing and diagramming crime scenes and evidence collection.

The first two weeks he worked training basic recruits. He then began training those attending officer candidate school, which is a nine-month program.

Ready instructs one of the classes at the Baghdad Police College. Classes averaged around 50 students each.

"To qualify for officer candidate school, applicants must have a fouryear college degree," Ready said. "There were a lot of professionals, such as veterinarians, engineers and teachers who were training to become officers. The pay for police officers there is much better than those professions."

Ready said his overall impression of the recruits was that they were eager to learn. "They are trying hard in bad conditions," he added. "I enjoyed my experience there. I met a lot of good people."

Although he feels good about going to Iraq, Ready said it was nice to get home. "When you're gone like that, it puts a strain on your family," he said. "My wife had to juggle work and taking care of our son while I was gone. Maybe now things will get back to normal."

Ready said besides being away from his family, the hardest part about his time spent in Baghdad was not being able to leave the compound where the Police College is located. "We couldn't even go into the city," he said. "We had to stay inside, so when we were off it was pretty boring. I spent a lot of time exercising when I was not working."

Mike Ready (back row, fifth from left) poses with officer trainees for a class photo.

Hearing the sounds of war was also a new experience for Ready, who does not have a military background. "When we first got there we heard a mortar round fly over and explode beyond us," he said. "That was pretty scary."

When Ready returned home he looked forward to getting away from the desert heat. As soon as he got back, he and his family headed to the mountains for a little rest and relaxation and some cooler air.

Now back on the job as the sheriff department's drug investigator, Ready said he is glad to be back at his old job. He's also happy to be back with his wife, Jackie and their 12-year-old son, Tyler.

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