Victorville Explorer Post 502 Ranks High in National Competition

by Rene Ray De La Cruz

VICTORVILLE EXPLORER POST 502 received high marks among explorer teams from around the U.S., during the 2022 Las Vegas ExCon Explorer Competition. The annual competition is billed, organizers bill the event as the most challenging, exciting and applicable reality-based training for youth law enforcement explorers and cadets as they progress for a career in public service.

During the competition on June 11, the Post 502, along with others, were required to respond to various scenarios that mirror what law enforcement officers from around the country respond to daily, said San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Deputy Curtis Bennington.

Each scenario was evaluated by several officers from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. The scenarios included: Suspicious situation

Crime scene investigation

Burglary in progress

Pistol shoot

Officer down

Unknown trouble

Exigent entry

Active shooter

Vehicle ambush

Out of 26 competing teams, Post 502 placed 1st overall based on an overall score from each scenario.

Bennington said he’s a firm believer that all explorers — especially his — will turn out to be positive future leaders within the law enforcement community.

SBC Sheriff’s Explorer Scout Program

The primary mission of the SBC Sheriff’s Explorer Scout Program is to educate and mentor youth and provide in-depth firsthand experience in the field of law enforcement.

Through involvement, this program works to establish an awareness of the complexities of law enforcement services. This program is intended for the benefit of youth ages 14 through 20.

Reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at HighDesertPeople@gmail.com or on Twitter @HighDesertPeeps

They also took 1st place in officer down and burglary in progress, 2nd place in crime scene investigation and 3rd place in exigent entry.

“Exigent circumstances” would justify a warrantless and nonconsensual entry into a home for the purpose of arrest, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Post 502 and their advisors had trained and prepared for the competition for months leading up to the competition, said Bennington, who works out of the Victorville Sheriff’s Station Detective Bureau.

Each scenario was evaluated based on teamwork, decision making, observation and recall skills. Also, communication skills with suspects, victims and dispatch, as well as basic patrol tactics, general police procedures, use of contact and cover concepts, and overall officer safety techniques. “I know the kids are proud, but I felt I needed to address how proud the Sheriff’s Department and their advisors are of them, all their hard work and dedication leading up to and at the explorer competition,” Bennington said. “Not one time did I hear one of them complain about the volunteer hours that were asked of them training for this event.”

Every Monday and Wednesday, the Victorville explorers would train for five to six hours on various scenarios.

With juggling school, graduations, and even some reserves in the U.S. Army, the explorers were ready and always there for training, according to Bennington.

“I would also like to thank the kids’ parents — without them we could not be successful,” Bennington said. “Their parents play a large role in the success of Victorville Explorer Post 502, and I just want to express how much all the advisors appreciate them.”

Bennington said the Sheriff’s Department and the Victorville Station are also grateful for the High Desert explorers and those around the nation.

“It’s not easy to be a cop right now,” Bennington said. “We see it on the news, we see cities defunding police departments. We see daily, cops from all over the country being murdered. But what I also see are my kids and kids from all over the country still chasing their goals and their dreams of becoming a cop and that speaks volumes about who they are.”

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