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