For the fourth year in a row the Marine Corps Police Department’s shooting team from Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow, has taken first place in team shooting competition at the Local Law Enforcement Competition Shoot event held in Barstow, California April 5.
Captain Charles MacNeil, the lead for the MCPD shooting team, said the competition was held at the Barstow Police Department’s shooting range and included five teams of five people each.
Besides the Marine Corps Police Department and the Barstow Police Department, the California Highway Patrol, San Bernardino County Sheriff and the Bureau of Land Management put their best marksmen up against a challenging set of courses.
The MCPD completed the team course in 19 minutes 46 seconds. The scoring was based on each of the five team members completing the course in the fastest time with the fewest misses. A missed target added time to the overall score.
MacNeil, Cpl. Lonnie Marney, Sgt. Jeffery Avary, Cpl. Jose Carcares, and Officer Trevor Hyland, walked away with the first place plaque for the MCPD, meaning the Marine Base has won the award four out of the seven times the competition has been staged.
The title of Top Gun, which awards the best single marksman, went to Detective Tom Lewis of the Barstow Police Department for the fifth straight time for the fastest time completing the individual shooter course with no misses for the 47 targets.
“This shooting competition is definitely a morale builder between law enforcement agencies,” MacNeil said. “You see almost the same people each year and you start talking with each other and develop personal and business relationships.”
“It also is a valuable training tool,” he explained.
“Training for the competition improves your shooting accuracy even if you don’t compete in the event. I open the training to any police officer on the base.”
“I’m very proud of the team. They’ve all worked very hard, put in a lot of hours practicing at the base range, and it paid off with this fourth straight first place victory,” MacNeil said.
“I’m proud of the shooting team,” Deputy Chief William Atkinson said. “It was a fitting retirement gift for me, however, it was not unexpected.”
