The MEPD began in late 2000 as a small group of Sandtrooper costume owners hoping to become the official Sandtrooper Detachment of the 501st Legion. That wish was fulfilled in early 2001.

The fledgling “EZboard” based group was not too different from the modern boards today; talk of pouches, weathering, and BFGs filled the threads then as they do now. That first small group died off as troopers came and went, and the board traffic disappeared after about a year. Then, in early 2002, the group experienced a resurgence thanks to some fresh sandtroopers wanting to carry on the detachment’s vision.  After almost two years based on the Yahoo group the membership had finally grown considerably.

The group moved to the current message boards in 2004 thanks to then Detachment Leader, Joe Musso. Between 2006 and 2007, Seth Busino led the detachment and continued to update all Legion and “Deployed” standards. He also helped to develop and offer some of the first accurate pauldrons and together with then XO, Mike Harrison, laid the foundation for today’s most accurate back pack offerings. In 2008, Mike Harrison took over as CO, with Paul Hoeffer as his Executive Officer and Jason Zarecki as his XO in 2009 and led the detachment in continued growth and success.  Then, in January of 2010, Noel Green became CO and appointed Anthony Sagun as his Executive Officer.

MEPD forum conversations have remained fairly similar through the years; armor, blasters, backpacks, pauldrons, pouches, and dirt are still at the core of the discussions. Since its inception, the MEPD has set a high standard for sandtroopers in the 501st Legion. In that time, the sandtrooper has gone from an almost forgettable character — often thought of as a “stormtrooper with accessories” — to an increasingly popular and sought after costume. There is no doubt the MEPD has played an important role in that transformation.

The years of research and dedication by the sandtroopers here at the Mos Eisley Police Department have forged improvements in every aspect of this costuming hobby. With new discoveries happening all the time we’re in a great place and we hope you’ll join us soon!