Aspiring St. Louis police officers take action on the road to regional police competition

OVERLAND, Missouri – When St. Louis Metropolitan Police researchers set out on a journey to Topeka, Kansas, for a regional competition simulating real-life situations, they thought it would be just that: a simulation.

“You never know when it could happen,” St. Louis Metro Explorer Chris Jones told FOX 2 on Friday.

City police investigators encountered a crime scene on Interstate 170 near Page Avenue in Overland.

“There were three victims, two of whom had injuries,” Jones recalled.

The researchers, who had trained for simulations, now found themselves in a real situation with real victims, and the cadets applied what they had learned in class and passed the test with flying colors.

“With the help of my advisors and fellow researchers, we were able to get first responders there in a reasonable amount of time to care for both the patients and the entire accident scene,” Jones said.

Then it was on to the competition, for which the group of explorers had been preparing for a year in cooperation with the Explorers of the St. Louis County Police Department.

“The competition is very intense,” said county explorer Amber Hoefl.

Just as they passed their real-world test in Overland, the team continued in Topeka and took first place in the regional competition, which simulated scenario-based exercises such as shootings, domestic disturbances and traffic problems.

It is a competition that prepares future city and county officials for important experiences in cross-border areas through cooperation.

“This cross-training platform that we experienced at this competition is a lot of what you see in law enforcement today,” said St. Louis County Police Officer Brian Hassling. “I was very proud of them. They worked really well together.”