Rome Police Explorers Place High In Regional Competition
A local contingent of Law Enforcement Explorers returned home victorious Sunday after scoring high in the annual Winterfest Competiton in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.
A group of nine Explorers from the Rome Police Department’s Post 2072 left Friday for Winterfest, an annual convention and competition composed of 61 different teams including Police and Fire Explorer posts and Venture Crews from around the nation. This years competition set the world record for the biggest Explorer competition ever held, with over 3,000 participants.
The Explorers participating from Rome’s Post were Lexi Adams, Aimee Couch, Justin Cooper, Hayden Jennings, Michael Lotero, Patrick Parks, Billy Ross, Zach Tyree and Chadd Workman.
The Explorers had cross-trained throughout 2009 in many different law enforcement topics related to the different events offered, but did not know exactly what four events they would compete in until they arrived and were assigned from a random lottery.
The post ended up competing in a total of six events on Saturday, including Hostage Negotiation, Domestic Dispute, Unknown Problem and Warrant Service, along with a standard Uniform Inspection and Written Exam.
The post placed high in overall ranking on all the events including 9th in Domestic Dispute, 6th in Hostage Negotiation, 4th in Uniform Inspection and 2nd in Unknown Problem. The post also was awarded a telescope for their 2nd place finish.
Teams in Uniform Inspection and Unknown Problem received high praise from judges in those competitions. Uniform Inspectors cited well kept and nice looking uniforms,composed of black “BDU” shirts and pants, along with a beret. Judges in Unknown Problem praised the explorers for their quick thinking and reaction after they were given the scenario of a hang-up call at a hair salon, which turned out to be an armed robbery in progress.
Law Enforcement Exploring is a program for youth age 14-21 who are interested in a law enforcement career. As an Explorer, youths not only receive training that will help them in the future, but also participate in many other activities such as competitions, aiding police officers at events such as parades and concerts by providing traffic and crowd control, and also participate in ride-alongs with Rome’s Patrol Division. The Rome Police Department has sponsored an Explorer post for over 20 years, producing successful officers, many of which now work for area police departments.
Anyone interested in becoming an Explorer may contact Rome Police PFC John Walters at (706) 236-2399
