Ear to the ground

“This may be the first case where Bayfield is actually ahead of the times.”

– A Durangoan commenting on the nearby burg’s decision to celebrate Independence Day on July 3 in order to respect Sunday church services

Best in SWAT

Durango’s crooks and criminals got bad news last week. La Plata County’s SWAT team took best in show after going up against the world’s best law enforcement at the 2010 U.S. National SWAT Championships. The local boys and ladies in blue took first place in the On-Call division and fourth overall in the competition held in Tulsa, Okla.

The La Plata County Sheriff’s Office Special Weapons and Tactics Team (SWAT) faced off against squads from the U.S., Canada, Germany and Switzerland.

During the always-demanding sniper championships, two teams of La Plata County deputies took 5th and 6th place out of 38 teams of shooters. The local badges went on to take 2nd and 3rd among the On-Call teams. An On-Call team is made up of officers who serve other duties and put on a SWAT kit only when the need arises.

The Sheriff’s Office then suited up for the SWAT Team Championships on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The competition included eight events that tested teamwork, individual skills, physical fitness, proficiency with firearms, and performance under high physical and mental stress. Deputies also faced the rigors of 100-degree heat and high Oklahoma humidity. At the end of the three days, the La Plata Sheriff’s Office found itself in 4th place overall and 1st place among the 18 On-Call teams. Canada’s Bruce Power Nuclear Protection Team took top honors.

Clean commuters

In a totally different breed of competition, Durango’s best clean commuters also took home honors last week. The winners of the 4th annual Trails 2000 Commuter Challenge were announced Friday.

More than 500 employees participated in the three-day bike-to-work challenge, where scores were based on companies’ percentage of participation. Ten companies had 100 percent participation including Russell Engineering, Maria’s Bookshop, Columbine Landscape, FredickZink and Associates, Adaptive Sports, Technik, Inc, Chiropractic Durango and Balanced Recovery Massage. Small businesses with more than 80  percent participation included Durango Orthopedics, Mountain Bike Specialists, Sugnet Moore Environmental, Goff Engineering, Syndicom, Backcountry Experience and 4-CORE.

In the large-size category, the City of Durango just barely edged out Mercury Payment Systems, La Plata County, First National Bank, Mercy Regional Medical Center and Fort Lewis College.