A CID Special Agent documents a crime scene. Jeffrey Castro / U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command
US Army Picks Naval Special Agent to Lead Investigative Command
The first appointment of a civilian director is part of a restructuring prompted by the Fort Hood review.
Updated at 5:45 p.m.
The U.S. Army has tapped Special Agent Gregory D. Ford to be the first civilian director of the service’s investigative command as part of its efforts to implement the Fort Hood Review Independent Review Committee’s recommendations.
Ford has more than 20 years of local and federal law enforcement and recently was the deputy director of operations at Naval Criminal Investigative Service, according to an Army statement Wednesday.
“I’m looking forward to getting to work and helping lead Army [Criminal Investigation Command] into the future,” Ford said in the prepared statement. “The Army deserves no less than superior criminal investigative support and I, along with the CID workforce, will ensure that need is met.”
In May, the Army announced that it would split the responsibilities of the general officer who is simultaneously the Army’s provost marshal and the CID commanding general, jobs currently held by Maj. Gen. Donna Martin, who led the CID redesign effort over five months.
As CID director, Ford will handle the criminal investigative process, the Army said.
On July 29, the Senate confirmed Martin to be promoted to lieutenant general. The Army announced Wednesday that she will be the service's next inspector general. The announcement did not say who would be replacing her.
Along with new civilian leadership, CID is restructuring to have more civilian criminal investigators than military special agents to increase unit experience levels and maintain continuity and partnerships with local law enforcement agencies.
Fort Hood, Fort Bragg, and Fort Carson will be the first posts to implement the CID reorganization, which will be done in phases.