By Audrey Levine, Staff Writer
It only took a few months for overall indifference to be replaced with a relationship of trust and respect between the citizens and the police they once feared.
And for many children in Akashat, Iraq where Sgt. Joseph Zuza, Manville resident and operations chief with Company G, 2nd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment police transition team, is stationed receiving gifts from the Iraqi police was the first step in building that trust.
”The benefits of this will outlast the tangible gifts the children received, whether they realize it or not,” said Sgt. Zuza through e-mail from Akashat, where he has been stationed since October 2008 after being deployed to Iraq in September. “The police are now seen as professional and compassionate, instead of the brute authority they once represented. The children now know that the Iraqi police are there to help the public and serve their better interests.”
Sgt. Zuza, 23, led the operation, gathering 20 boxes of children’s winter clothing, stuffed animals, candy and other items that had been sent by family, friends and United States organizations to the Marines of the Second Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment. The company then went to Akashat Primary School with Iraqi police officers Jan. 14 to deliver the items to the students after they finished their annual standardized tests.
”The students were overwhelmed by the gifts they received,” Sgt. Zuza said. “It was clear they felt a deeper appreciation for all of it since it was given out by their own police.”
When he first arrived in Iraq, Sgt. Zuza said, he saw citizens would either avoid the Iraqi police or simply feign indifference when they passed. Now, he said, children run up to officers to say hello while adults stop to talk with them.
”The officers have adopted community policing into their patrols permanently now, and I’m confident that the results will continue to improve,” he said. “I feel this event has solidified the rapport we have been working to build these past few months, and there is a strong positive connection now between the police and the citizens of the town.”
Community policing is about the collaboration between the police and the community to enhance the safety of the citizens. The policing taught in Iraq is based on the American model used throughout the United States.
In a recent Marine Corps interview in Iraq, Sgt. Zuza said there is a focus on getting to know the people on the streets in an effort to determine if they are having any problems.
In his position as operations chief, Sgt. Zuza said, his duties consist of executing patrol movements to the Iraqi police station; coordinating and executing foot patrols with the Iraqi police; and working with the officers to address administrative issues.
In these roles, he said, he has worked closely with the police officers to advance their skills and create a better bond between them and the citizens.
”These past few months, I have worked closely with the Iraqi police officers and patrolmen to instill community police skills in their conduct and patrolling to create a solid bond between the police and the public through training and joint patrols in the towns,” he said.
Sgt. Zuza, who is in Iraq on a scheduled seven-month deployment, said he is proud to have seen this change in attitude between the citizens and police officers. He said he has seen the mutual relationship grow and also has been privileged to build friendships with the police officers he has met over the months.
”I’m proud to have been present to witness the first big steps here toward a mutual relationship of trust and respect between the police and community,” he said.
In addition to this pride, when Sgt. Zuza returns home, he will carry with him an Iraqi flag signed by all the officers he has met and worked with over the past months.
”It meant more to me than words can ever express,” he said. “I didn’t know what to expect when I first arrived here, and the results of my efforts here will remain with me for the rest of my life.”

