- May 7, 2026
Flagler County Sheriff’s Office SWAT snipers placed second and eighth out of 40 teams at the Snipercraft Challenge, competing against snipers from local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies across the country. The second-place finish is FCSO’s best in the annual competition, but the team has placed in the top 10 each year in the last five years of competition.
The FCSO sniper team of Commander Brian Finn and Deputy Chandler Anderson earned second place. Sergeant Frank Gamarra was teamed up with a sniper from the Palm Bay Police Department due to his partner being unable to attend. They finished eighth, despite the two having never met or trained together prior to the competition.
“Our SWAT sniper team consistently excels at this event, proving once again they are the best-of-the-best," said Sheriff Rick Staly. "The community can rest easy knowing they are some of the most skillful and well-trained law enforcement snipers in the country and show they are fully prepared to protect our community should a critical event occur. I'm proud of them and congratulate all involved."
Alongside the main competition, Sergeant Gamarra placed first in a charity side-shoot competition to raise money for Smile Train, an organization which provides funding for corrective surgeries for children born with cleft palates.
In addition to the competition, FCSO’s SWAT snipers attended Snipercraft’s two-day educational training seminar, which featured instruction on tactics, operational debriefs, and emerging technologies.
“We’re thankful for the chance to train and measure ourselves against teams from all across the country and to continue to put Flagler County on the map in the police sniper community,” added Commander Finn, who leads FCSO's sniper team. “We pray we never have to use these skills, but this event provides an opportunity to learn, refine, and test our skills and bring that training back to serve our community.”
