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CNN Live At Daybreak

Iraqi Police Officers in Training

Aired July 09, 2003 - 06:33   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Establishing a new system of justice is key in the rebuilding of Iraq. Former New York City police commissioner Bernard Kerik is on hand in Baghdad to help oversee the effort.
CNN Baghdad bureau chief Jane Arraf joins us now with details about the new police academy, where recruits are being trained -- Jane.

JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF: Fredricka, we've been watching all morning these police recruits behind us figuring out, with the help of American police officers, exactly how to take guns away from suspects and how to defend themselves.

To talk about that bigger picture of that going on is Bernard Kerik, as you mentioned, the former New York City police commissioner.

Mr. Kerik, thanks very much for joining us.

BERNARD KERIK, SENIOR POLICY ADVISOR: Good afternoon.

ARRAF: Now, we've seen lately increasing attacks on police officers, Iraqi police officers, on Iraqi police bases, including a bomb attack on a graduating class. How do you deal with that?

KERIK: Well, I think you deal with it in two ways. The police officers now have to know that they are -- they could be the victims of attacks, just as the coalition has, and to make them aware of that and to better train them, as we are doing here today, and also intelligence. We need the Iraqi people to come forward. We need the communities to come forward. The people that are doing these attacks, they know who they are, they can identify them. They need to come forward and give us the information on who is doing this.

ARRAF: Now, that seems to be a key problem, that intelligence part. It's a different language. It's a different culture. People are intimidated. How quickly -- how successfully will you be able to do this?

KERIK: Well, I think once the police officers get back into the streets and the people have confidence in their police, they'll talk to them and they'll communicate with them. They may not talk to me, they may not talk to the U.S. military advisors or the coalition, but they will talk to other Iraqis.

And right now, in the last two weeks we've had a major influx of information coming from the Iraqi people, talking about the resistance, talking about criminals, talking about people that Saddam let go. More than 120,000 people were released back in November. We're getting a lot of information on those people now, and I think that's going to increase.

ARRAF: At the same time, there have been these increasing attacks on Iraqi police, and two separate tapes from a man purporting to be Saddam Hussein calling for attacks on collaborators such as Iraqi police. What effect is that having?

KERIK: Well, I don't necessarily know what the effect of the tapes have. You know, how much do you listen to a man who is hiding in a hole or in a cave or in a building and is too afraid to come out and talk in public? But there is resistance. That resistance will continue, because a lot of people have lost their jobs, they've lost their power, their oppressive power over the people of this country, and they realize they're never going to be in power again.

The coalitions are not leaving. The Iraqi police are growing. They're going to fight for this country. They're going to create and make this country a free country. And the resistance may as well just give up now, and if they don't, they're going to be taken out one by one, arrested and/or killed.

ARRAF: Now, at this academy itself two months ago you had to remove the dean of the police academy, as well as 15 other police officers, for things like corruption and organizing Baath Party activities. In a major bust a while ago, you had police officers arresting other police officers. How deep does that corruption run here?

KERIK: Well, there are two levels of corruption -- the Baath Party, naturally, and they're being sifted out one by one as they're identified, and the lower-level corruption. The lower-level corruption, that's one of the reasons we have this transition and integration course right now.

The police officers that were already on duty in this country are going through a three-week program. Anti-corruption is a major part of that curriculum. They have to learn that they can't take bribes, they can't be corrupt, they can't be criminals and be cops. And as we catch them, they'll be arrested, just like we have done over the past few weeks.

ARRAF: Thanks very much.

KERIK: Thank you.

ARRAF: That was Bernard Kerik, former New York City police commissioner, overseeing efforts to establish a new police force.

We're here at the academy, where they're graduating the first 100 next week -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, Jane, thanks very much.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.







Aired July 9, 2003 - 06:33   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Establishing a new system of justice is key in the rebuilding of Iraq. Former New York City police commissioner Bernard Kerik is on hand in Baghdad to help oversee the effort.
CNN Baghdad bureau chief Jane Arraf joins us now with details about the new police academy, where recruits are being trained -- Jane.

JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF: Fredricka, we've been watching all morning these police recruits behind us figuring out, with the help of American police officers, exactly how to take guns away from suspects and how to defend themselves.

To talk about that bigger picture of that going on is Bernard Kerik, as you mentioned, the former New York City police commissioner.

Mr. Kerik, thanks very much for joining us.

BERNARD KERIK, SENIOR POLICY ADVISOR: Good afternoon.

ARRAF: Now, we've seen lately increasing attacks on police officers, Iraqi police officers, on Iraqi police bases, including a bomb attack on a graduating class. How do you deal with that?

KERIK: Well, I think you deal with it in two ways. The police officers now have to know that they are -- they could be the victims of attacks, just as the coalition has, and to make them aware of that and to better train them, as we are doing here today, and also intelligence. We need the Iraqi people to come forward. We need the communities to come forward. The people that are doing these attacks, they know who they are, they can identify them. They need to come forward and give us the information on who is doing this.

ARRAF: Now, that seems to be a key problem, that intelligence part. It's a different language. It's a different culture. People are intimidated. How quickly -- how successfully will you be able to do this?

KERIK: Well, I think once the police officers get back into the streets and the people have confidence in their police, they'll talk to them and they'll communicate with them. They may not talk to me, they may not talk to the U.S. military advisors or the coalition, but they will talk to other Iraqis.

And right now, in the last two weeks we've had a major influx of information coming from the Iraqi people, talking about the resistance, talking about criminals, talking about people that Saddam let go. More than 120,000 people were released back in November. We're getting a lot of information on those people now, and I think that's going to increase.

ARRAF: At the same time, there have been these increasing attacks on Iraqi police, and two separate tapes from a man purporting to be Saddam Hussein calling for attacks on collaborators such as Iraqi police. What effect is that having?

KERIK: Well, I don't necessarily know what the effect of the tapes have. You know, how much do you listen to a man who is hiding in a hole or in a cave or in a building and is too afraid to come out and talk in public? But there is resistance. That resistance will continue, because a lot of people have lost their jobs, they've lost their power, their oppressive power over the people of this country, and they realize they're never going to be in power again.

The coalitions are not leaving. The Iraqi police are growing. They're going to fight for this country. They're going to create and make this country a free country. And the resistance may as well just give up now, and if they don't, they're going to be taken out one by one, arrested and/or killed.

ARRAF: Now, at this academy itself two months ago you had to remove the dean of the police academy, as well as 15 other police officers, for things like corruption and organizing Baath Party activities. In a major bust a while ago, you had police officers arresting other police officers. How deep does that corruption run here?

KERIK: Well, there are two levels of corruption -- the Baath Party, naturally, and they're being sifted out one by one as they're identified, and the lower-level corruption. The lower-level corruption, that's one of the reasons we have this transition and integration course right now.

The police officers that were already on duty in this country are going through a three-week program. Anti-corruption is a major part of that curriculum. They have to learn that they can't take bribes, they can't be corrupt, they can't be criminals and be cops. And as we catch them, they'll be arrested, just like we have done over the past few weeks.

ARRAF: Thanks very much.

KERIK: Thank you.

ARRAF: That was Bernard Kerik, former New York City police commissioner, overseeing efforts to establish a new police force.

We're here at the academy, where they're graduating the first 100 next week -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, Jane, thanks very much.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.