Police place first in three countywide competitions

A group of Costa Mesa Police Explorers recently won eight trophies from a countywide competition.

Twelve members of the department’s post 198 battled in a two-day test at Orange County Sheriff’s Training Facility in Tustin.

After competing in an obstacle course, the explorers tested their minds in a series of scenarios encountered by local police every day.

As a team, they handled mock calls for burglaries, domestic violence, DUIs, vehicle stops resulting in felony arrests, assaults, disabled vehicles, and “officer down.” They even simulated a hostage negotiation.

The group earned first place in three events, for felony car stops, arrest and search and officer down.

Costa Mesa Explorers also earned third place for domestic violence, and fourth and fifth place for “tubular assault,” which covers situations on planes, trains, buses and other moving vehicles. One of the men earned the third-place trophy for completing the obstacle course, and one of the women scored fourth place on the course.

— Kelly Strodl