FORT EUSTIS, Va. –
The 221st Military Police Detachment hosted its annual Pfc. James Boyd Jr. Top Cop Competition Aug. 17 to 19 at Fort Eustis. Soldiers from six Training and Doctrine Command units from across the United States battled for bragging rights as this year's "top cop."
The competition was based around seven training scenarios - obstacle course; respond to a medical emergency (cardio pulmonary resuscitation); written test; respond to a domestic disturbance; the new Army physical readiness test; active shooter response and combat pistol range and stress fire (9 mm pistol and shotgun).
"This is a law enforcement specific competition where we brought in 12 hand-picked MPs from different units to be evaluated on their ability to perform law enforcement duties," said Capt. Samuel Arnett, 221st MP Det. commander. "Our staff really worked hard on developing these scenarios... and executing the planning of this competition."
According to Arnett, the focus was to give the Soldiers a chance to come out and compete as individuals and as a team.
"As MPs start to transition from their deployments, they're going to be called upon to perform law enforcement in a garrison environment, which is crucial to who they are as MPs, but also to the safety and protection of our military families," said Arnett.
Graders included members of the Federal Bureau of Investigations, Newport News Police Department and Special Weapons and Tactics team, Fort Eustis Fire Department, and 733rd Security Forces Squadron MP investigators. Individuals were also evaluated according to the U.S. Army Police Course regulations.
Arnett added that although "top cop" was a competition, training was the number one priority. During the evaluation, MPs received one-on-one time with each professional evaluator. They gave them pointers on ways to improve their skill set, because in most cases, these are life-or-death situations and MPs must be prepared at all times.
"I was happy I was selected to represent Fort Monroe. During the competition, there were some excellent real-time scenarios," said Sgt. Travis Smith, 233rd MP Det. (Fort Monroe). "The new Army physical readiness test was really good for us to learn and I'm looking forward to it being implemented throughout the Army in the future."
This year's competition was officially dedicated Pfc. James Boyd Jr., who was killed in the line of duty in 1973.
2011 Pfc. James Boyd, Jr. Top Cop Competition final results:
- Best NCO: Staff Sgt. Kyle Daun, 221st MP Det. (Fort Eustis); First Runner Up: Staff Sgt. Jenny Brock, 17th MP Det. (Fort Jackson)
- Best Soldier: Spc. Fulgencio Rodriguez, 17th MP Det. (Fort Jackson); First Runner Up: Spc. Nicholas Downing 221st MP Det. (Fort Eustis)
- Best Law Enforcement Detachment: 221st MP Det.; Runner Up: 17th MP Det.