Who:
Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office
Patrol Operations Bureau
-Explorer Post 900

What:
The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office Explorer Post 900 recently participated in the 2019 Boy Scouts of America Winterfest Competition.

When:
The competition took place from February 8 through February 10, 2019.

Where:
The competition was held at the Gatlinburg Convention Center located in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.

Why/How:

Twelve members from the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office Explorer Post 900 participated in the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) Winterfest Competition in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.  The event included participants from law enforcement explorers, fire explorers, medical explorers, and venture explorer posts from around the country.  Over 3,000 youths participated in the event. 

On Saturday, February 9, 2019, explorers participated in several team scenario competitions which included robbery in progress, crime scene processing, and officer down shooting scenarios.

Explorers participated in individual events that included use of force, officer survival, law enforcement written exam, and pistol competitions. In addition, explorers were able to participate in Boy Scout events such as rappelling, rope climbing, and archery.

Out of 32 law enforcement explorer posts, Explorer Post 900 placed 10^th overall in the crime scene and the officer down scenario competitions.

Explorer Mitchell Bonsall received an individual 3^rd place award for police pursuit driving simulator. 

Aside from law enforcement training, the explorers had the opportunity to go snow tubing and climb the Appalachian Trail.  For some explorers this was their first time leaving the State of Florida, for others it was their first time ever seeing snow.

We are very proud of the efforts of the Explorer Post 900 and their efforts during this weekend competition. 

The explorer program is tailored for teens 14-19 years of age that have an interest in learning about the law enforcement career field.  To learn more about the explorer program or to join, please visit our website at www.pcsoweb.com/explorer-post-900 or contact Deputy Aly Extine at 727-453-7461.