Notwithstanding the constant harangue of anti-cop voices signaling a police-free society, wise brains employing critical-thinking skills know better. And among those who possess a bright and robust outlook on the future of America are youngsters honing aspirations to be the next wave of law enforcement officers implementing serve and protect principles.
Although I have been witnessing a sentiment among tried-and-true cops musing over when/if they should hang up their duty belts for the final time —largely stemming from the vociferous appetite of anti-police crowds roaming like banshees…the inexplicable factions of prosecutors baselessly charging cops for simply doing their jobs to the letter of the law…and politicians greedily capitalizing on the vault of emotional currency devaluing those who uphold law and order— young folks are apparently hyper-focused on the reality that this unappealing tapestry’s threads will fray, ushering in a fresh tide of law enforcers seeing beyond the cop-block detritus and refortifying constitutional tenets for citizens.
It is enjoyably breathtaking to bear witness to factions of developing minds having foreseeability, wherewithal, and courage to step forward in a relative sea of muck with personal investments in a professional career for the good of others…anti-policers be damned.
One of the traditional recruitment methods employed among America’s law enforcement agencies is the concept of Police Explorers.
Self-explanatory, youngsters ranging from ages 14-18 (generally; some PDs accept up until age 21) sign up to explore the police profession and learn the fundamentals of police procedure (something which may be useful for all the naysayers waving the anti-police banners…because education informs critical thoughts over emotion-fueled lash).
Explorers also receive a general framework of laws governing society and its members’ constitutional covenant, the breadth of practical realms/discretion exercised in enforcement of our statutes, and the tools and equipment employed by cops bolstered by multi-level authorizations and optimizations for their respective use (albeit fake ones for purposes of firearms training and felony stops).
(Photo courtesy of the Corpus Christi Police Explorers.)
My professional involvement with Police Explorers came shortly after I was sworn in as a policeman in Florida. On a voluntary basis, I was honored to invest hours of my off-duty days to convene for our Police Explorer post meetings and field practicals regarding properly effectuating car stops, building searches, domestic disturbance mitigation, pedestrian interactions and all manner of what cops encounter during the course of a dutiful career serving the public.
I admired the concept and chose to volunteer my time because it didn’t just instill all aspects of police culture but also skillsets evolving into earned recognition reflective of military and law enforcement institutions: sergeants, lieutenants, captains, each of whom play roles in team building.
Among various attributes and expectations to join, academics is a stipulation which must be adequately maintained (nothing less than a 2.0 GPA) . Police Explorers are instructed to study hard and to be candid when they needed help with whatever subject matter (math, science, English, writing, history, etc.) at which time a subset of tutoring was initiated and taught by a department cop who was well versed in a particular subject. Indeed, among prerequisites to gain acceptance in a Police Explorer program is academic success.
As well, our Police Explorers were enveloped in virtues of not only what makes a great cop but also a fine human being positioned to aid others in-kind. The Pledge of Allegiance precedes every meeting.
Fundraising endeavors are coordinated so as to gather finances to enable travel to/lodging in other jurisdictions and compete against various Police Explorer posts across the country (a pseudo boot camp, except with the chance to score trophies, medals, ribbons symbolizing dividends resulting from focus, hard work, and personal accomplishment born of a concerted effort exactly like police squads (teams).
(Photo courtesy of the St. Petersburg Police Explorer Post #980.)
In effect, Police Explorers endure a mini police academy in informal settings controlled by bona fide law enforcement officers mentoring via their professional experiences and personal knowledge base.
Prior to my involvement explained above, I grew up in NYC, watching the NYPD precinct’s band of Police Explorers which, once graduated, were suited in police uniforms with the exception of the title “Police Auxiliary” embroidered in gold in their shoulder patch, unarmed, and constantly under the tutelage of a certified/sworn police officer.
According to the NYPD, their “auxiliary police program is the largest auxiliary [one] in the United States, with thousands of volunteer officers contributing more than one million hours of public service each year. Auxiliary officers are trained to observe and report conditions requiring the services of the regular [sworn] police. Whenever possible, they assist in non-enforcement and non-hazardous duties.”
I would see the then-green and white NYPD panel van loaded with teen-looking police auxiliary members being transported by an experienced adult police officer, patrolling as a group while observing society’s machinations through a police lens and learning real-time on actual metropolis streets.
Essentially, the massive-sized NYPD had a multi-level approach to molding future cops for a force responsible for a uniquely diverse population consisting of over eight million residents (beefed up by visitors and tourism).
That was decades ago and not exactly practical nowadays, given the oft-heated environment and propensity for malcontents to eagerly savage anything resembling a police icon. (I mean, the social justice activists didn’t even see the immaturity of insisting —and getting their way— when they called for prohibition of Paw Patrol toys and LEGO’s police-oriented sets.)
Thankfully, though, the police explorer concept not only still exists today but is also seeing interested young minds and membership roles reflecting, as stated above, courageous kids undaunted by the polluted pool infested with police abolitionists and defunders.
As is customary among the multi levels in American law enforcement, local, state, and federal police agencies partake in one another’s police explorer groups, offering exposure to specialty units and jurisdictional variances so empirical knowledge can be attained.
Pictured in our cover photo above, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) Police Explorer Post #238 enjoyed the privilege of visiting the Tampa area Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) building and federal agents describing life as a federal cop and the resources they employ to get the job done, including international span which local cop shops neither engender (falls to the feds) nor necessarily afford (chronically restricted budgets).
As the HCSO site explained with gratitude on behalf of their Explorers, “Thank you FBI for inviting our Explorers to do some training—not only was it a blast, but an incredible learning opportunity as well!
“[The FBI] took the time to train Team HCSO’s Explorer Post #238 in evidence recovery. Members of the FBI Hazmat & Evidence Response Teams guided our Explorers through several different mock crime scenes.
“Thank you for taking the time to give them this experience.”
Talk about a phenomenal indelible experience for young, impressionable minds, boldly traversing the right road while the highly publicized chants to the contrary are in their ears and eyes. Those boots on the ground are a relative certainty when it comes to the reported diminished pool of police applicants across the nation.
Consequently, applying to a Police Explorer post also affords candidates an early experience in the general process of police applications—another inherent benefit to teens looking toward the future and applying themselves in constructive ways as civic-minded individuals with purpose.
Achieving the rite of passage in law enforcement is no walk in the park, traditionally demanding the best of the best, requiring tons of processing, multiple layers of vetting, physical ability and moral turpitude beyond measure, and often long waits times to be called up, Police Explorer programs offer winning edge. Getting feet wet in police culture by police professionals is a viable opportunity toward personal and professional achievement, the opposite of roaming the streets at ungodly hours when trouble is looking for a conspiratorial participant.
Sentiments of police veteran heroes who have been steadily holding the line are understandable. To their own detriment they nonetheless remain vigilantly and valiantly avowed. As tradition would have it, Police Explorer graduates who subsequently engaged in police academy certification processes are in pillars in the making.
The road to ultimate success is consistently under construction, and furthered when new, properly indoctrinated human resources are added to the team of forward-thinking doers trying to overcome the barks of backward-minded activists misguided by some twisted politicos’ power-trips enabled by bannering a police-free society.
Thankful to young minds who can see right through the veil and can discern ugliness, knowing what is right and wrong, forging with the ranks of a band of blue, helping hold the line consistently dampening the incendiary fuse ignited by malcontents who chose the wrong/destructive path.
For youngsters aspiring to a life in law enforcement, it is both starting a legacy as well as carrying on a legacy, for which the nation can breathe a sigh of relief and harvest hope.
As the Florida Association of Police Explorers (FAPE) wrote: “We believe as an organization that the youth who are influenced today will become the law enforcement officers of tomorrow.”
As Pasco County Sheriff’s Office Major James Mallo (with whom I worked the streets as a beat cop many years ago) offered: “These young people are the future of law enforcement […] I have to admit I get a little choked up when I see such determination, respect, and unconditional love for mankind these young people have. It makes me realize even with all the bad in the world and negative feelings about law enforcement, in general, we still have young Sheepdogs waiting in the wings,” adding kudos for “everyone involved in training them, and their extra special parents.”
To some degree it seems ironic that kids exposed to the complexities and complications of the policing profession garner capitalize on maturity while certain adults armed with bullhorns and fueled rage refrain from free education pertaining to matters engendering law enforcement personnel serving them to everyone’s constitutional promise.