FORT DRUM, N.Y. (Sept. 22, 2023) -- Military police and local law enforcement officers gathered Sept. 21 to demonstrate their expertise in a skills competition, hosted by the 227th Military Police Detachment at Fort Drum.
The annual Top Cop competition began on the open road as each competitor tested his or her dexterity behind the wheel on a timed EVOC (emergency vehicle operator course).
“This is a course we train on to learn how to drive under stressful situations,” said Cpl. Brennen Bledsoe. “You never know what the conditions on the road will be like when you respond to a call."
Timing and precision matter on the course, as drivers weaved in serpentine patterns – forward and in reverse – around dozens of safety cones representing human lives or road obstacles.
“Every Military Police Soldier goes through this course during Mountain Guardian Academy training,” Bledsoe added.
Pfc. Hunter Howard, with 511th Military Police Company, recently completed that training course and handled the EVOC competently.
“I wasn’t nervous at all, but I was just feeling the stress of being in a competition,” he said. “But once I got inside the vehicle, I felt OK, and I did pretty well.”
Like most of the MPs at Top Cop, this was Howard’s first chance to test his proficiencies in competition.
“Honestly, I wanted to do this because it sounded like a lot of fun,” he said. “It’s a chance to show what I’ve learned from my training, and I especially like that we can show other civilian agencies what we know and what we are trained to do. I thought this whole idea of bringing different agencies together was really cool.”
After showing what they can do with four wheels, competitors went on all fours to complete a challenging confidence course. Maneuvering through the low crawl, inclined wall, cargo net climb and several other obstacles, participants had to rely on their agility, strength, and endurance to muster through.
“It burned,” Sgt. Edward Moseray said afterward. “You feel it in your legs and in your soul. It really works on your stamina and breathing. If they are off and not in synch, it is terrible.”
Apparently, it wasn’t so terrible for Moseray, who clocked in the fastest time among MPs at 5:50. The fastest overall time went to a Rome Police Department competitor who finished in 4:11.
Moseray said that many MPs will tackle the obstacle course in preparation for Air Assault School or other training purposes. Mostly, Soldiers will use it to stay in top physical shape.
“It helps show where you are both physically and mentally,” he said. “And you don’t want somebody who is out of shape working in law enforcement, especially when it comes to responding to calls where somebody’s life is in danger. You want your patrols to be in shape and ready for anything.”
The competition concluded with a stress shoot and a LEWTAQ (Law Enforcement Weapons Training and Qualification) on Range 33.
“Any time we can get on the range and fire our weapons is a good day,” said Spc. Christopher Koehler. “I was excited about this competition because it meant extra time with hands-on applicable skills.”
Koehler said he wanted to test those skills, but he wasn’t necessarily concerned about winning any events.
“I approached this like I’m going to put my best foot forward because I’m a competitive person,” he said. “But if I don’t do well in any of the events, then it just means getting more practice and hands-on training.”
In all, 13 Soldiers from the 91st Military Police Battalion and 11 civilian law enforcement officers from Rome Police Department participated in Top Cop. Capt. Eric Napier, 227th Military Police Detachment commander, said the event began in 2019 to bring military police and local law enforcement agencies together for friendly competition.
“We have great relationships with local law enforcement agencies, and this is another way we can continue to build on those relationships,” he said. “It’s great to have that esprit de corps displayed throughout the day, along with that sense of competitiveness.”
Napier said the obstacle course was a new addition to this year’s competition.
“Based on what we heard from people during past competitions, we wanted to include another physical challenge,” he said.
Dan Vescio, with Rome PD, won the title of Top Cop for the third year in a row.
“This is a great competition, tough competitors, and a lot of fun,” he said. “The obstacle course was something I’ve always wanted to do, and I finally got to do it.”
Sgt. Aaron Wolf earned the highest score among MP competitors.
“I thought this competition was a lot of fun, honestly,” he said. “After the EVOC course, when I was dragging two cones behind me, I automatically thought I was out of it. But then I knew I was going to do great at the obstacle course, and I know my shooting skills are well.”
Bragging rights aside, Wolf said Top Cop was a rewarding experience because of the camaraderie.
“At the end of the day, it was just a big group of people who all had fun sweating and grinding it out,” he said. “It was fun seeing the civilian police having fun doing our obstacle course, because that’s something they don’t usually get to do. Overall, it was a fun day for everyone.”
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