HOPLAND — The Hopland Tribal Police Sergeant Jim Thorsby won a gold medal in archery at the Western States Police and Fire Games competition held in Mesa, Arizona last month.
Sergeant Thorsby, 42, has been with the Hopland Tribal Police Dept. for two years. He competed four times before, setting the state record in 2000. This year, he scored 844 points out of a possible 900, with 13 bull”s-eyes at 60 meters.
The Hopland Tribal Police Department is located on Highway 175 at the Sho-kah-wah Casino. Chief of Police Marty McCarthy used to work with the Clearlake Police Department, and said, “Tribal police forces are a relatively new concept for California.”
Sergeant Thorsby has participated in the competition in the past with another police agency in the Bay Area, as did McCarthy. They are recognized as federal law enforcement officers with a special law enforcement commission given by the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
“Myself and the department as a whole really want to promote this type of athletic competition to have the benefits from athletic companies, for athletic competition. Officers need to stay in physical shape and have keen senses, this kind of competition helps develop those attributes,” McCarthy said.
The Western States Police and Fire Games began as the California Police Olympics in 1967 in San Diego. The competition has been held annually for almost 40 years and is governed by the California Police Athletic Federation.
An average of 5,000 to 6,000 law enforcement and fire service officers compete each year in more than 60 different sports. Western states currently invited to participate are Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.
Sergeant Thorsby”s closest competitor was from the Scottsdale Police Department in Arizona, with a score of 842. McCarthy said other area law enforcement agencies did not compete in archery, although they may have competed in other sports. Thorsby was the only officer from Hopland who participated this year, although others have in the past and continue to train for future events.
Contact Elizabeth Wilson at ewilson@record-bee.com
