The Minneapolis Police Explorer Post competed in the 16th Annual Duluth Conference, which was hosted by the Voyageurs Area Council and St. Louis County Sheriff's Office.

Two teams Explorers, competed in 7 events, Hostage Negotiations, Domestic Crisis, Crime Scene Search, Field First Aid, and Traffic Accident Investigation's. Events were not known by the teams until "Dispatched" 10 minutes prior.

There were more teams competing this year than ever before, and the events were held at the Fond Du Lac Tribal College in Cloquet, MN. Explorers were accompanied by Sgt. Christie Nelson and Off. Dennis Kreft."

This year the Minneapolis contingent was headed by our lead advisor Officer Dennis Kreft.  The team participated in different events ranging from delivering first aid, conducting building searches, and vehicle stops.

The purpose of the Explorer Program is to give young people that have an interest in law enforcement an opportunity to undergo training and simulations that are similar to what a police officer would undergo so that they can learn more about the duties of a police officer.  Some of the Explorers want to pursue a career in law enforcement while others just want to develop a better understanding of how law enforcement works. Law Enforcement Exploring is a national program with thousands of police departments across the country supporting an Explorer post.

Minneapolis Explorer Team 1(Explorers James Menter, Dylan Pearson, Graham Norberg and Chelsie Teetzel) took 4th Place in Crime Scene Search, which was actually a Burglary in Progress where a homeowner had shot an armed intruder. Minneapolis Explorer Team 2(Explorers Chou Yang, Kelsey Thompson and Madeleine Pederson) took 4th in Hostage Negotiations where the scenario was a distraught husband who had taken a hostage during a domestic crisis.