3rd annual Battle of the Badges features competition, support for brothers in blue

Christiansburg, Virginia – Police officers agree that receiving gun instruction is one of the most crucial aspects of their work, but they sincerely hope that they never need to put those abilities to use.
For this reason, Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Preston Woodrum established a competition that exposes officers to scenarios they might face in the field.

“I wanted to create a chance for them to come out and understand the tremendous training value that this offers, as well as the chance that they have to come out and compete and improve in such a setting,” Deputy Woodrum stated.

We refer to it as the Badge War. To participate, more than a hundred law enforcement officials from Virginia and around the nation traveled to the Christiansburg Izaak Walton League.

“We’re providing the police with tools to protect us, and we don’t care if we like them or not—we still call them frequently.” Peter Jobst, President of Christiansburg Izaak Walton, stated, “We call them for anything.” “Therefore, we are training them today to better serve us.”

The accuracy and speed at which an officer completes each of the six stages determine their score. The courses include everything from dodging obstacles to shooting moving targets through automobile windshields.

“You’re not just hanging out at the range with your friends, is that right? You’re not only enjoying yourself while standing there planking steel. You’re attempting to move as quickly and accurately as you can,” Woodrum remarked.

Sergeant Byron Purnell of the City of New Carrollton Police Department is taking part for the second year. He makes the entire trip from Maryland.

Although he acknowledges the competition’s worth, he claims he exploits it to further his personal development.

“You return to your most recent level of training when involved in a critical crisis. The last time you trained may have been five or six years ago, and you don’t recall, Sgt. Purnell said, if you’re not exercising and maintaining your skills. “As soon as you hit the target, you ought to be able to recall it.”

This year, the third annual Battle of the Badges has a deeper significance. The families of Smyth County Deputy Hunter Reedy, who was shot and killed while performing his duties on August 9, and Deputy Michael Fedorchuk, who was shot during the same event but survived, will receive the funds raised.

$1,000 was donated by an unidentified person to help their family members.

After the club matched $1,000, Team One Network—my title sponsor for the contests here—took over. They will additionally add $1,000 to that as a match. Thus, it makes three thousand,” Woodrum remarked.

Thank you to all of the sponsors of Battle of the Badges, Woodrum, and Jobst said.