News
Sheriff's Explorers Capture Awards at Annual Competition
Gatlinburg, TN – The Forsyth County Sheriff’s Explorers placed first in Escaped Inmate and second in Suspicious Person competitions at the 35th Annual Exploring/Venturing Winterfest event in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. The event took place the weekend of January 31 2009 and takes place every year in January.
The Forsyth County Sheriff’s Explorers traveled to Gatlinburg with 24 youth members and 10 adult advisors. Each Explorer post participating in the competition was assigned 2 of the possible 14 competitions that are put on during the event. The assigned competitions are announced the night prior to the actual event. Other possible competitions they could have been assigned included Warrant Service, Accident Investigation, DUI Traffic Stop, Crime Scene, Felony Traffic Stop, Bomb Threat Response, and Armed Robbery in Progress. Because they did not know what event they would be assigned the Explorers had to study and practice for every possible competition.
“We are very proud of our Explorers for all their hard work and dedication throughout the year”, said Forsyth County Sheriff Ted Paxton. The Explorers raised money to attend the event by participating in fundraisers and donations from local businesses.
Winterfest is the largest Exploring and Venturing event in the United States. This year the event brought over 2,600 participants and over 57 teams for competitions. The event brings youth from as far west as Texas and as far north as Indiana and all states in between.
The Forsyth County Sheriff’s Explorer Program is a youth program for both boys and girls ages 14 to 21 who show an interest in law enforcement. The Explorer Post is sponsored by the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office. The adult leadership for the program are members of the Sheriff’s Office who volunteer their time to teach the youth about law enforcement. Anyone wanting more information about the program can contact Captain Michael Honiker at 678-513-5919 or e-mail the program at sheriffexplorer@forsythco.com.
