A team of protective force officers from Protection Technology Los Alamos recently competed in the annual Security Police Officer Training Competition (SPOTC) at the Department of Energy's Central Training Academy located on Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque. The PTLA team consisted of Tim Casias, Will Clayton, Joe Nieto, Felix Valdez, David Zufelt and team captain David Miranda; the team was coached by Steve Rivera and Dominic Browning. For safety reasons, when running obstacle courses officers use inert firearms, as indicated by the orange on the barrels of the weapons. SPOTC is a four-day event that pits teams of local police officers, DOE protective force personnel and military special response-type officers. This year's event included 22 teams from the DOE sites, both the Albuquerque Police Department and the New Mexico State Police as well as a team of British police officers. Military teams included the U.S. Air Force and Marine Corps. The competition is made up of both team and individual events in marksmanship, with handgun and rifle, and physical agility and critical thinking. This year's overall winner was a team from the Pantex site in Amarillo, Texas. Photos by Kevin N. Roark, Public Affairs |  |