Former Sarver man training police in Iraq
KALSU, Iraq — Robert Spencer, who lived in Sarver from 1974 to 1978, is helping to train police in Iraq.
Spencer, who is now a sheriff in the Sumter County, S.C., Sheriffs Department, is one of the instructors called Iraqi Police Liaison Officers from the United States who are working with the police in Iraq.
The Iraqi police from Babil and Kalsu provinces sent 20 experienced officers to Forward Operating Base Kalsu in February and after 10 days, they completed the Iraqi Police Sustainment Training Program, according to an Army news release.
This is the first police academy in the country.
In that program, they gain knowledge to provide better instruction to fellow officers in the provinces.
The goal of the program is to maintain the law enforcement skills of police personnel and provide advanced instruction to them, said Capt. John Shaw, the officer in charge of the IPST program for the 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division.
"Our audience for this program consists of IPs from the provinces of Karbala and Babil," said Shaw. "This program will help the IP to maintain proficiency in common-core and police-specific tasks, helping to improve the security in our provinces."
Spencer, who is a native of Sumter, S.C., said in the news release, "These IPs are making history by being here and completing this inaugural course."
He has been working in Iraq for 11 months.
"These men have shown me that they will do what is necessary to provide rule of law to the Iraqi citizens in their respective provinces," said Col. Michael Garrett, commander, 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division.
Spencer lived in Sarver for many summers with his grandparents, Carl and Mildred Spencer. His grandmother lives in an assisted living home in Sarver.
