MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. -- Marines stationed across Marine Corps Installations East conducted practical application training during the Traffic Collision Investigation Course at Camp Johnson, aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, Thursday.
Marines stationed across Marine Corps Installations East conducted practical application training during the Traffic Collision Investigation Course at Camp Johnson, aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, Thursday.
The military occupational specialty of traffic investigator, is a military policeman who is trained in enforcing traffic laws, regulations and orders. They are responsible for reporting traffic accidents and assessing damage and determining how the accident happened.
The class of students traveled to a roadway during their fourth day of training. With the formulas they were given, they had to determine the distance from the vehicle to sidewalk and impact point.
“The course is 136 hours in total,” said Gunnery Sgt. Antonio G. Lopez, the Traffic Management and Collision Investigation course chief with the Marine detachment at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio. “The most important part of this course is them learning all aspects of the MOS.”
The course gives the students the opportunity to leave the classroom and apply what they’ve learned on the roadways with simulated accidents and situations.
“It’s crucial for the Marine Corps because of this concept of us deploying and teaching what we’ve learned to police teams in country,” said Lopez. “It will show all the different commands out there what the military police field can do.”
The training is given by a mobile team from Lackland Air Force Base, who have recently visited Marine Corps Base Okinawa, Japan, and plans to visit Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California, next.
“I’ve never (had) the opportunity to work with Marines before,” said Sgt. 1st Class John E. Lackland, a military policeman with Delta Co., 701st Marine Police Battalion, Lackland Air Force Base. “By the time we finish this training we’ll have more than 60 traffic investigators around the Marine Corps. I’m looking
forward to it.”
Since becoming the course chief, Lopez, a native of Calipatria, California, has worked to write the curriculum, to include changing the way the Marines diagram accidents and rework formulas.
“I work to lead by example,” said Lopez. “This skill is perishable if you don’t practice, so I enjoy coming out and sharing my knowledge with the Marines. I love seeing students come with little knowledge and leave as a subject matter expert in 17 days.”