thedrifter
03-23-09, 05:38 AM
4 Pittsburgh officers to vie for 'Top Sniper' honors on Military Channel
By Jill King Greenwood
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Monday, March 23, 2009
Pittsburgh police officers will be featured on the Military Channel as part of the first civilian police department to participate in the U.S. Army International Sniper Competition.
The four-part program, "Top Sniper 2," premiering tonight and continuing Tuesday, spotlights elite two-man teams competing for the title of "top sniper."
The teams participate in 18 events to gauge their expertise in long-range shooting, covert maneuvering and urban combat in realistic conflicts and environments, network spokeswoman Deborah Gottschalk said.
The eighth annual competition, taped in October at Fort Benning, Ga., has 33 teams representing the Army, Marines, Air Force and Canada, Denmark, France and Ireland.
Four of the Pittsburgh police "Marksman/Observers" participated in a training event and two in the competition, said city police Assistant Chief of Operations William Bochter. The four officers were Officer Teddy Anderson, Officer Robert Krebs, Detective William Friburger and Officer Donald Savko, said Anderson. Men were chosen based on their availability, he said.
"There is little doubt that the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police has the best trained, most disciplined and most dedicated Marksmen/Observers in the nation," Bochter said. "So, I'm very glad the nation will have the opportunity to see their teamwork and talent showcased under such rigorous training conditions.
"I'm very proud of them and I'm confident the knowledge and experience they've gained will only serve to strengthen our Marksman/Observer teams in the future."
Friburger helped the team win first place in an aerial shooting competition, where he hit a target at 200 meters from a moving Blackhawk helicopter, Anderson said. The team also placed third in an urban sniper competition, he said.
"We didn't go down there to compete," Anderson said. "It was more training for us than it was anything."
Anderson was the team coach, and Krebs, a captain in the Army reserves, was the assistant coach.
Jill King Greenwood can be reached at jgreenwood@tribweb.com or 412-321-2160.
Ellie
By Jill King Greenwood
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Monday, March 23, 2009
Pittsburgh police officers will be featured on the Military Channel as part of the first civilian police department to participate in the U.S. Army International Sniper Competition.
The four-part program, "Top Sniper 2," premiering tonight and continuing Tuesday, spotlights elite two-man teams competing for the title of "top sniper."
The teams participate in 18 events to gauge their expertise in long-range shooting, covert maneuvering and urban combat in realistic conflicts and environments, network spokeswoman Deborah Gottschalk said.
The eighth annual competition, taped in October at Fort Benning, Ga., has 33 teams representing the Army, Marines, Air Force and Canada, Denmark, France and Ireland.
Four of the Pittsburgh police "Marksman/Observers" participated in a training event and two in the competition, said city police Assistant Chief of Operations William Bochter. The four officers were Officer Teddy Anderson, Officer Robert Krebs, Detective William Friburger and Officer Donald Savko, said Anderson. Men were chosen based on their availability, he said.
"There is little doubt that the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police has the best trained, most disciplined and most dedicated Marksmen/Observers in the nation," Bochter said. "So, I'm very glad the nation will have the opportunity to see their teamwork and talent showcased under such rigorous training conditions.
"I'm very proud of them and I'm confident the knowledge and experience they've gained will only serve to strengthen our Marksman/Observer teams in the future."
Friburger helped the team win first place in an aerial shooting competition, where he hit a target at 200 meters from a moving Blackhawk helicopter, Anderson said. The team also placed third in an urban sniper competition, he said.
"We didn't go down there to compete," Anderson said. "It was more training for us than it was anything."
Anderson was the team coach, and Krebs, a captain in the Army reserves, was the assistant coach.
Jill King Greenwood can be reached at jgreenwood@tribweb.com or 412-321-2160.
Ellie