CAMP BONDSTEEL, Kosovo – Long before U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Jay Rivers and U.S. Army Capt. Shy Garden reunited on their current deployment to Kosovo Forces Regional Command–East (KFOR RC-E), they served side by side on the streets of Camden, New Jersey, as police officers with the Camden County Police Department.
KFOR is a NATO-led mission focused on providing a safe and secure environment and ensuring freedom of movement for all people in Kosovo. Its emphasis on community relations closely mirrors the responsibilities of a police department to protect and serve.
“We both still have a common goal,” said Garden, currently the public affairs commander for KFOR RC-E. “Whether as a police officer or a soldier, that goal is making sure everyone gets home safely.”
Before attending the academy, Rivers and Garden had briefly crossed paths during weekend drills with the New Jersey Army National Guard’s 160th Engineer Company in Tuckerton. However, it wasn’t until they met at the police academy the first day that they truly began working alongside one another.
“When we showed up to the police academy, I knew she looked familiar, but I couldn’t place it,” Rivers said. “After sitting there for a while, I realized it was from our shared service in the New Jersey National Guard.”
Both distinguished themselves early in the Camden County Police Department. As their careers progressed, Rivers and Garden were promoted to detective, continuing to advance along similar paths.
"Even when we were in Camden, we both progressed in the same fashion too, so we were still in that same facet before us even coming here,” said Rivers. “So it's just like a full circle."
Garden later moved into the Special Victims Unit, handling some of the department’s most sensitive and complex cases, while Rivers joined the Narcotics unit, investigating some of the city's challenges.
“We have watched each other grow professionally,” said Rivers.
“Working together on a police force, you learn to rely on the brother and sister next to you and that creates a genuine, lasting bond that stays with you,” said Garden. “The camaraderie in Camden is indescribable.”
Despite the demanding pace of their civilian careers, both continued to rise through the ranks of the military and eventually drifted apart. When they learned they would be deploying together to Kosovo, their friendship was quickly revitalized.
The two reminisced about their days in the academy and on patrol.
“To me, it's amazing to be able to have that familiar face, someone you know that you can trust, that you've been in positions with,” said Garden. “So I know that I have a trusted brother here.”
Today, that trust carries over into their roles at KFOR RC-E. Rivers, a member of the New Jersey Army National Guard’s 328th Military Police, currently serves as a desk sergeant and customs agent, while Garden leads public affairs efforts for the command.
“I think a lot of people kind of benefited from our relationship when it came to this deployment,” said Rivers. “Certain things just mesh. You never lose that bond.”
Both have since moved on from their Camden days. Rivers now serves as a patrol officer with the Pennsauken Police Department, while Garden works as a criminologist and professor at Salem County College.
“At any moment, you may be called to defend this base, our soldiers, and our flag,” Rivers said. “In those moments, you want people you trust, and I see our New Jersey and Delaware units as family.”