As the school year winds down, the Gainesville Police Department is looking to recruit youth interested in law enforcement into their Explorer’s Program.
The program, which is a branch of the Boy Scouts of America, allows local youth from the ages of 14-20 to explore the career of law enforcement through training akin to that of a police academy under the guidance of officers who work within the department.
The Explorer’s typically meet twice a month on Mondays. Sargent Jessica Van, one of the advisors for the program, described what a meeting could look like.
“A typical meeting could vary,” She said. “ It could be a class setting where they're learning about the current updates, cruel procedure, or Georgia law; and then there are times where we do hands-on training. All of it is very similar to actual law enforcement training in general.”
The program was originally adopted by the Gainesville Police Department about 30 years ago before it took a break after a few years of operation. In 2015, it was reinstated under Chief Carol Martin.
While the program mainly focuses on law enforcement, Sargent Van noted that the Explorers also learn life skills that can be applied to other fields.
“Even though we say that there are people that have joined the program, realizing maybe this isn't for me, maybe this is for me, we've actually had several who have joined go into the medical field, or join the military,” Van said.
The program exposes the participants to several law-enforcement-related procedures such as how to clear a building or respond in simulated active shooter situations. Additionally, the Explorer’s gain real-life experience by helping direct traffic during major city events. The goal of the training is to provide a basis of knowledge for students before they enter the police academy. Sargent Van highlighted how those who stick with the program tend to reach their goals of working in the field.
“A lot of times, we have a couple of explorers who actually have been hired on,” she said. “They are ahead of the game. They know how our agency responds to everything. By the time they're hired, they're here, they're knocking out the police academy, and they’re doing really well.”
Officer Owen Ozaki, a former Explorer’s graduate who was recently sworn into the Gainesville Police Department joined the program in 2017 and left after he finished High School in 2019.
Officer Ozaki emphasized the impact the Explorer’s Program had on his ambitions to go into the field.
“Every meeting, they would pull out their police cars and let us practice traffic stops…And as a high school kid with a dream to be in law enforcement, it was neat to play with the police lights.”
Ozaki said the program further reinforced his dream to go into law enforcement.
“I've always wanted to do law enforcement,” he said. ”I'm one of those cops that knew from a very, very young age, that's what I wanted to do. I don't come from a law enforcement family, and I don't come from a military family. I'm the only one in my family to do either. But I just think it's a really unique way to give back to your community.”
While the program is a branch of the Boys Scouts of America, all who are within the accepted age range are welcome to apply. Participants also do not need to live in Gainesville.
To learn more about the Explorer’s program, visit their Facebook Page.
