232 lines
13 KiB
Plaintext
232 lines
13 KiB
Plaintext
May 1990
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LAW ENFORCEMENT EXPLORING
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By
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Steve Farish
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President
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Texas Law Enforcement Explorer Advisor's Association
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and
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Police Officer
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Irving, Texas, Police Department
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Two one-man police units respond to a burglary-in-progress
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call at a local church in Irving, Texas. One unit, however, is
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noticeably different--it carries an extra passenger, a civilian.
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As the two police officers search the building for suspects, the
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civilian passenger remains with the police vehicles to watch for
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any suspicious activity. Without warning, three male suspects
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run out of the chapel doors, across a courtyard and toward a
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parking lot. The civilian uses the police radio to advise the
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dispatcher, as well as the other officers, of the suspects'
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descriptions and in which direction they are heading. Because of
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this civilian's understanding of police procedures, all three
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suspects are apprehended. The civilian rider is a Law
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Enforcement Explorer.
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WHAT IS LAW ENFORCEMENT EXPLORING?
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Law Enforcement Exploring is a branch of the Boy Scouts of
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America (BSA), but its members are not Boy Scouts. Rather,
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Explorers are young men and women ranging in age from 14 to 20
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who are interested in law enforcement careers. The Exploring
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Program brings enthusiastic youths into a police department to
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participate firsthand in such activities as traffic and crowd
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control, crime prevention, security surveys and patrol ride-along
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programs. Explorers do not take the place of regular officers,
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but rather supplement them.
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The success of the Law Enforcement Explorer Program is
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apparent by its continued growth. Nationwide, more than 1,000
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new posts have been formed during the past 10 years, and the
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number of Explorers grew from 32,000 in 1979 to almost 46,000 in
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1989. The program has received endorsements from the Federal
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Bureau of Investigation, International Association of Chiefs of
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Police (IACP), the National Sheriff's Association (NSA), the
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Exploring Division of the Boy Scouts of America and the Law
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Enforcement Explorer Executive Committee.
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Regarding the Law Enforcement Exploring Program, U.S.
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Senator Phil Gramm notes, ``Involvement in the Law Enforcement
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Explorer Program establishes an awareness of the complexities of
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criminal justice and gives Scouts a better understanding of our
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democratic system.'' In essence, Exploring provides an
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opportunity for young Americans to participate in criminal
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justice activities, after training and indoctrination, designed
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to enlarge their career opportunities and build mutual
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understanding with law enforcement agencies.
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BENEFITS OF EXPLORING
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For the Irving, Texas, Police Department, Exploring provides
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an opportunity to identify potential career law enforcement
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personnel. Currently, the police department has three officers
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who are former Law Enforcement Explorers. One of these officers
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has been with the department for 10 years since getting his start
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with Explorers. ``Law Enforcement Exploring is a very positive
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influence on today's youth,'' this officer said. ``It allows
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Explorers to learn about criminal justice through classroom
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training and practical experience.''
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Perhaps more important is the role an Explorer Program has
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in improving the agency's relationship with the community.
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Explorer advisors are assigned to the Community Services Section
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to deal specifically with crime prevention. The Explorers also
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get involved in the community through senior citizen centers,
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bicycle rodeos, day schools and many other similar programs. In
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addition, Neighborhood Watch Programs enable the Explorers to
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meet personally with residents of the community and to explain
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Operation I.D. or such crime prevention measures as the
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difference between a single cylinder and a double cylinder
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dead-bolt lock.
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Explorers enable the department to maintain effective use
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of officer manpower. The police department uses Explorers to
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help with the filing, statistical work, and inventories.
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Explorers also participate in child fingerprinting days at a
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local shopping mall. Involving the Explorers also allows the
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department to demonstrate the desirable practices and attitudes
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of a successful law enforcement agency, thus building respect for
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the department and improving its overall image.
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BENEFITS TO YOUTH
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For a young adult, Exploring can set a career path and
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provide a better understanding of the criminal justice system.
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It can also build character, increase mental and physical
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fitness, improve self-esteem, and provide a better understanding
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of a young person's role as a citizen. ``With the training,
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guidance and understanding I needed as a young adult, Exploring
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helped make up my mind that law enforcement would be my career
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choice,'' said one police officer who was an Explorer for 4
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years before joining the Irving Police Department.
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STARTING A PROGRAM
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The first prerequisite for a department considering a Law
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Enforcement Exploring Post is a commitment to America's youth and
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to the BSA's goals of character building, citizenship and mental
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and physical fitness. To receive its post charter from the BSA,
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the police department must agree to provide an Explorer advisor
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to work directly with the post members and provide a post
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committee of at least four members to function as a support team.
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The department is also responsible for providing a meeting place
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for the post, training and consultants as needed, and abiding by
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the principles and policies of the BSA in all Explorer
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activities.
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In return, the local scout council agrees to assist in
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organizing the post, train the adult leaders, offer support
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services as needed and the names of potential recruits, and
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provide liability insurance protection for the post's leaders and
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the police department. The scout council also makes available
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literature and program materials, council-owned scout camps and
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other facilities, and district and council Exploring events, such
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as road rallies, Explorer Olympics and Law Enforcement Exploring
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conferences.
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The Irving Police Department Post was first chartered in
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October 1971. ``I approached the Boy Scouts for more information
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on the Exploring program after reading about a post in Dallas,''
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said the Assistant Chief of Police of the Technical Services
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Bureau, who subsequently became the Explorer advisor. For the
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introductory meeting, called a ``first-nighter,'' 28 young people
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attended and were told that the post, by providing direct contact
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with the police department, gives Explorers an opportunity to
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learn about the law.
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PROFICIENCY AWARDS AND EXPLORER MOTIVATION
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Once an Explorer Program is established, an ongoing
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challenge is to keep the young people's interest. In February
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1985, advisors for the Carrollton, Texas, Police Department and
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the Irving Police Department developed an incentive awards
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program for both posts to motivate the Explorers and to recognize
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their accomplishments. This program was also introduced and
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adopted by other police departments in the area.
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The Irving and Carrollton incentive program became a major
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part of the National Law Enforcement Explorer Proficiency Awards
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Program now offered by BSA to Law Enforcement Explorers. The
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program provides an opportunity for posts and their Explorers to
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earn a series of recognition awards that incorporate their Law
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Enforcement Exploring experience, such as community service,
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crime prevention, law enforcement training, firearms training,
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emergency preparedness, and drug abuse prevention.
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Within the Irving post, the award program motivates
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Explorers to become more involved in a ``total police work''
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concept. ``When Explorers join the post, their idea of police
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work is riding around in a squad car writing tickets and making
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arrests,'' according to the police department's associate
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advisor. ``The proficiency awards help motivate the kids to
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participate in all aspects of police work.''
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EXPLORER TRAINING
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Training consumes a tremendous amount of an Explorer's time
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and energy. Most of the regularly scheduled meetings (first and
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third Tuesday nights of each month) are spent learning about
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different law enforcement techniques and the responsibilities of
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police work. To become eligible for the Ride-Along Program,
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proficiency awards or local and national Law Enforcement Explorer
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competitions, each of the Explorers must complete 30 hours of
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training in areas such as departmental procedure, first-aid,
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report writing and radio procedure.
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Often, the department uses officers who are not Explorer
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advisors to teach the classes, which provides an opportunity for
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them to interact with the Explorers. However, the department
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also arranges for guest speakers from Federal agencies, juvenile
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courts, detention centers or other criminal justice agencies to
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add variety to the training program.
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TRAINING FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS
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The Boy Scouts of America, through the Exploring Division,
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offers a Law Enforcement Exploring Advisors' Workshop to help
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advisors become more at ease with their responsibilities and to
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understand their role in Exploring. Each of the Irving Police
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Department's advisors has attended the 3-day workshop, which
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includes training in Explorer leadership, recruiting, policy and
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procedure, working with the BSA, community relations, money
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earning, motivation, identifying and solving problems, firearms
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safety programs, training academies and many other topics.
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There are also area-wide workshops to help advisors run
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their posts effectively. These workshops offer information about
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other available local, State and national programs and help to
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solve problems common to other posts through group discussions.
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All workshops are conducted by BSA personnel and Explorer
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advisors from departments around the country.
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In an effort to offer additional training and to create a
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positive link between the youth and patrol officers, the police
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department also offers a 3-hour Officers' Explorer Training
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class. This class provides an overview of the Exploring Program
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and is mandatory for those who want to participate in the
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Explorer Ride-Along program. Explorer standard operating
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procedures (SOP) are also taught to the officers to inform them
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of the Explorer's role and duties when accompanying the officer
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on patrol or when working at the station. These restrictions
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ensure that the Explorer will be riding with officers who are
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knowledgeable about the program and who understand the guidelines
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that they, as well as the Explorers, must follow.
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CONCLUSION
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Involvement in the Law Enforcement Exploring Program has
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greatly benefited the Irving, Texas, Police Department by
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providing needed and timely manpower for special occasions and by
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offering a positive outreach program to the community. For the
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Explorer, the benefits continue throughout their lives. If
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Explorers choose a law enforcement career, they usually do not
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need as extensive a training program as employees who did not
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participate in the Exploring Program. But, even if the Explorer
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does not choose a law enforcement career, the department still
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will have helped a youth to become a much more productive citizen
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who will understand and care about the needs and concerns of law
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enforcement.
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