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NEWS | Dec. 7, 2020

Military Police Soldier dedicates another year to KFOR, keeps Camp Bondsteel safe

By Sgt. Jonathan Perdelwitz KFOR Regional Command East

U.S. Army Reserve Spc. Nyriq King, a vehicle accident investigator with the 423rd Military Police Company out of Long Island, New York, turned on his vehicle siren during a routine patrol at Camp Bondsteel, Kosovo, on Dec. 3, 2020. King had seen a vehicle run a stop sign. With safety at the top of his mind, he approached the driver and explained why they had been stopped before sending them on their way.

The lesson of the day was that military police on Camp Bondsteel take traffic infractions very seriously.

As a traffic accident investigator, it’s King’s job to ensure the roads on base are as safe as possible. With the winter season coming in full swing in Kosovo, it’s especially important for Soldiers and civilians on Camp Bondsteel to practice safe driving in dangerous weather conditions to avoid injury. For this reason, King conducts patrols and pulls over vehicles that violate the post’s traffic rules.

“We run the traffic enforcement,” King said. “We deal with [drivers under the influence], traffic accidents and things of that nature.”

Traffic accident investigators aren’t tasked with many of the same jobs as normal military police, but are specifically trained to handle traffic safety issues and major vehicle accidents.

“What separates us from the main MPs within the MP corps is we’re certified to investigate the traffic accidents that are life-ending or critically damaging,” King said. “If the vehicle is totaled and there is severe injury then they have us respond to it.”

Staff Sgt. James McFarland and 1st Sgt. John Clayton, Soldiers with the 29th Military Police Company, Maryland Army National Guard, serve alongside King as traffic accident investigators, and one of them is always on call to respond to emergencies.

Normally, King would have been on his way back home to Plainfield, New Jersey, after having served his time on Kosovo Force 27, a NATO organization dedicated to the freedom of movement and safety of all people in Kosovo. Instead, he said he enjoyed Kosovo so much he extended his contract to stay for the KFOR 28 rotation as well.

As King is set to spend approximately two years away from home, his new KFOR 28 coworkers are grateful for the knowledge he’s passing on as they pick up the ropes.

“He’s a really good troop,” McFarland said. “I’m really glad he stayed over from KFOR 27. He gives us a bit of expertise here in Kosovo.”