The island of Kwajalein Atoll of the Marshall Islands is approximately 2,000 miles southwest of Hawaii. The land is leased by the U.S. government to house what is officially known as the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site. The facility itself is a $4 billion facility that is also home to a small number of U.S. Army military members and civilians.
The Kwajalein Police is a private police force under the direction of Alutiiq LLC, a company with quite a large number of Department of Defense contracts worldwide. Current entrance requirements for the Kwajalein Police as listed on the Alutiiq Website are that applicants must be U.S. citizens, must have graduated from a police academy of any state or a military police academy of any branch of service, must have two and a half years of law enforcement experience through a civilian or military police department, must be eligible for a Secret Security clearance, must meet Department of Defense height and weight standards, must successfully complete a physical fitness agility test and must be willing to live for a minimum of one year unaccompanied in the Marshall Islands.
The Kwajalein Police Department is a full-service law enforcement agency that offers patrol services, installation access control, K-9 narcotics and explosive detection, criminal investigations and marine police. Kwajalein Police Officers enforce U.S. federal law, U.S. Army regulations, Hawaii state law, and Marshall Islands revised codes. KPD officers are also tasked with providing security for all Reagan Test Site operations.
Kwajalein Atoll offers KPD officers a small town working atmosphere which experiences many of the same crimes a small town in the U.S. would experience. Few serious crimes are reported on Kwajalein, but the KPD averages about 250 criminal cases each year. A large number of more serious calls to the KPD will more likely than not be alcohol related. Crime scene processing is conducted by the Investigations Division of the KPD.
Should the need ever arise for a SWAT like response to an emergency, the KPD also employs a Quick Reaction Force equipped and trained to handle especially dangerous or hostile situations.
When not at work, KPD officers have several options to enjoy their free time with, but due to the small size of the island, some creativity may be necessary to take full advantage of what the island has to offer. Kwajalein hosts two movie theaters, a chapel, two swimming pools, two small shops, a small grocery store, and a recreation center. Off duty KPD police can also take part in boating certification classes to take advantage of the thirteen mile allowed boating range to fish, dive, water ski, or wakeboard. Should a person run out of things to keep themselves busy with the full service post office makes it possible for personnel living and working on the island to receive packages from loved ones and companies worldwide.
While the pay to KPD officers is considerably small, the benefits of the location seem to help many when deciding to accept the job. The money earned while working for KPD is tax free and all lodging, meals, and work equipment is paid for. For those with prior military police experience, the minimum one year tour length can be done standing on your head. This is especially true for younger folks who are still single and without children. Not to say that family men and women wouldn’t be able to do the job, just that it would be less on the individual’s mind if they didn’t have to worry about what was going on back at home. Also, half way through your yearlong tour, Alutiiq will pay for the member to travel back to their point of hire for two weeks as a form of R&R.;
The police work on Kwajalein will not be that of movies and television. Officers do not routinely kick in doors or get in fights. If that is what the applicant is looking for then it is advised that the applicant look elsewhere. If the applicant is concerned with aiding in the security and protection of vital national security assets while maintaining a partnership with the local community on the island, then this will most likely be an exciting and rewarding job.
