By Police1 Staff
FREDERICKTOWN, Mo. — A special guest joined an annual SWAT competition that honors the family of a slain officer.
Governor Eric Greitens competed in the fifth annual Chris Parson’s Southeast Missouri SWAT Challenge on Saturday, where he went through obstacle courses, training and shooting exercises, KFVS12 reported.
The event honors Deputy Chris Parsons, who was killed in an ambush on December 15, 2012 while responding to a call of an unconscious woman. As the woman was being put in the ambulance, her son exited their home and opened fire, killing Parsons.
The challenge not only provides an outlet for officers to showcase their strength, but offers them a networking tool.
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Greitens, a former Navy SEAL, said he wanted to attend the event to show his support and to encourage the community to support law enforcement, the Daily Journal Online reported.
“I have tremendous respect for them, and I want everybody around the state to support our law enforcement officers,” Greitens said. “I thought it was a great idea to get down here and be on the front lines with these guys and do some training, but also demonstrate to the people of Missouri the tremendous commitment that all these men and women have every day to keep all of us safe.”
Officer Dusty Schmidt said having the governor interact with the officers one-on-one was a signal that he supported law enforcement fully.
“He ran the obstacle course with our team and he didn’t slow us down at all,” Schmidt said. “Actually, we had to pick up our pace to keep up with him. He’s got our back, and I think that’s what he was trying to convey by coming out here.”