Members of the Freeport Police Department say that the drills they performed recently at the State of Maine Police Challenge sharpened their skills for real-life situations.

And they’ve got something to brag about, too. Freeport took first place in the two-day event, held Oct. 7-8 at the Scarborough Fish & Game Association. The first day involved marksmanship with handguns and rifles, and the second day was all about physical fitness.

Officer Richard Ray said that some of the competition required running to locations and then shooting. The same skill could be required in the case of a crime at a school or other emergency situations, he said.

“It simulates current trends of the bad things that are happening in the world,” Ray said.

Officer Tom Gabbard was team captain of the Freeport squad, which competed against nine other five-person teams, including municipal police, National Guard and U.S. Marshals. Nate Leger, Gino Bianchini and Keith Norris rounded out the Freeport team.

Freeport finished second in shooting and fourth in the physical tests, averaging out to the winning score. Ray was the top Freeport marksman, while Leger was No. 1 in Freeport in the physical contest.

Gabbard said that the Police Challenge is good for morale, and for relationships with other law-enforcement agencies.

“It’s to build camaraderie,” he said. “It’s police tactics, shooting and physical fitness. It’s all moving and shooting. It’s not static.”

“It builds your skills and abilities and it helps you understand where you’re at in your skill set,” Ray said. “We’ve already talked about how we’re going to prepare for next year. We loved it.”

Law-enforcement officers who participate in the challenge also build self-confidence, Gabbard said.

“There’s the confidence thing, and also the trust of your fellow officers,” Gabbard said. “You have mutual aid with all the surrounding communities. We want to know that we’re all on the same page.”

Police Chief Gerry Schofield said his squad placed third last year, and was ready for the challenge.

“This year they knew more what to expect and planned for it,” Schofield said. “We’re extremely pleased at how well they did and represented the department. They worked hard.”

The Freeport Police Department won the State of Maine Police Challenge, held Oct. 7-8 in Scarborough. Pictured from left are Portland Police Chief Michael Sauschuck and Freeport officers Keith Norris, Nate Leger, Gino Bianchini, Tom Gabbard and Richard Ray, and Bob Chandler, Scarborough Fish and Game chief range safety officer.