Excerpts from the ChicagoTribune.com:

Before placing at a the National Law Enforcement Exploring Conference in Arizona, members of the Lincolnshire Police Explorer Post put their law enforcement training to work after coming across an emergency situation while on their way to the competition. Lincolnshire Patrol Sgt. Jamie Watson was proud of how his three students handled a motorcycle crash, involving an unresponsive rider.

After flying from Chicago to Phoenix, Watson was driving the Explorers to Flagstaff. About 55 miles away from Phoenix, they came around a bend in a mountain pass to discover a motorcycle crash.

The Explorers decided to stop after Watson noticed that first responders firefighters and EMS personnel had not yet arrived on the scene. In the southbound lane, a motorcycle was strewn across a lane of traffic and the rider was lying motionless about 15 feet away.

When an ambulance arrived, emergency responders EMS personnel moved the cyclist to a nearby exit, where a helicopter rushed him to a hospital.

News of the post’s actions along I-17 made its way to many participants at the national conference, where Watson fielded questions about the Lincolnshire post’s response to the crash.

The small Lincolnshire group ultimately captured two second-place finishes out of five events during the national competition. With three of the group’s 12 members participating, the Lincolnshire post took second place in the traffic stops and officer-down simulations — the latter involved an officer being hit by passing a car, according to Watson.

The Exploring program is similar to the Boy Scouts but is focused on training both male and female students in a career field. This year, the Lincolnshire group has members from Deerfield, Arlington Heights, Mundelein, and Buffalo Grove.

thanks Dan

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