Sheriff’s Office Honor Guard Drill Team takes second at national event
Last Modified: Tuesday, June 05, 2012 11:35 AM
By Taylor Prejean / American Press
The Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office Honor Guard Drill Team recently placed second in the nation at an annual competition in Washington, D.C. The five-member team competed against 17 other groups, said team leader Sgt. John Reddin.Between 200 and 300 teams converged on Washington, D.C., for National Police Week, but only 18 teams were allowed to compete in the Honor Guard Competition on May 14, he said.
During the all-day competition, Reddin said, judges scrutinized the teams on several aspects of their performance, including a nearly eight-minute exhibition on Pennsylvania Avenue.
Reddin said the success of his team — which missed the first-place slot by 10 points — is a testament to members’ training and dedication.
“It speaks volumes. No one out there had even heard of this area before,” he said. “We were also the smallest group to compete. Most groups had 10-12 members.”
Reddin said his team beat out all federal agencies and most larger police departments that competed. He said most of the other teams were composed of officers whose full-time job is honor guard.
Reddin said the win shows the Sheriff’s Office’s professionalism and dedication.
“The Sheriff’s Office expects us to show a high level of discipline and bring honor to the Sheriff’s Office. In the routine that we brought to D.C., we kept that military bearing and did everything in a respectful manner,” Reddin said. “It ended up paying off.”
There are 17 drill team members, but only Reddin, Cpl. Leonard Crawford, Sr. Cpl. Lance Melendy, Cpl. Steven Arnold and Deputy Marcus Thompson traveled to compete at the nation’s capital.
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