Thousands expected to visit for semi-annual sporting competition.

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The place will be crawling with cops come the middle of
June, but it’s all good.

Santa Clarita is the host city for the 2009 Western States
Police and Fire Games, a semi-annual sporting event that features Olympic-type
activities and more with competitors made up of police and fire personnel.

The games are June 13 through the 20^th and will
be held at various venues around the valley, including Castaic
Lake, Robinson Ranch, College of
the Canyons and the Pitchess Detention
Center.

The website for the games (www.wspfg2009.org) boasts that the Games feature
more than the summer and winter Olympics combined. A long list of the
competitions, which lists traditional sports like weight lifting, skeet
shooting, swimming and the like, also includes unique events such as a Mud Run,
paintball, billiards, roller hockey, wrist wrestling and surfing.

Additionally, canine members of the force get to play, with
competitions set up in the areas of service, narcotics and explosives
detection.

Most of the competitions are free and open to the public.

The games began as the California Police Olympics in 1967
and as time went by, firefighters were added to the roster of athletes. The
mission of the games is to promote physical and mental well-being among
professionals in the police and fire departments. The Western region includes Alaska,
Arizona, California,
Colorado, Hawaii,
Idaho, Montana,
Nevada, New
Mexico, Oregon,
Texas, Utah,
Washington and Wyoming.

For more information, visit their website.