Explorers Program and Crime Prevention

Explorers Program and Crime Prevention

Crime is a serious issue and affects everyone in their community and even throughout the city. Crime prevention is not a new idea and as time moves forward the ideas are even more brilliant. In fact, many police departments have been into crime prevention for many many years and now neighborhoods are beginning to work with different police departments within there communities to help any criminal activity. With community help, this gives the police an idea of how and where to prevent the criminal activities from taking place and to make sure the areas are under higher patrol. The government is trying and come up with ways to prevent crimes by funding programs for repeated offenders as well as juveniles. Although juvenile crimes have come down statistically, the rates are still out of control and need to be dealt with in a timely manner, or they will begin to skyrocket again. The purpose of this essay is to show you how some states have come up with a way to teach juveniles all about police work and to help them explore the criminal field, by making them stay on top of their own personal responsibilities. I will be discussing The Explorers Program.

The Explorers Program provides educational training programs for young adults on the purposes, mission, and objectives of law enforcement. The program provides career orientation experiences, leadership opportunities, and community service activities. The primary goals of the program are to help young adults choose a career path within law enforcement and to challenge them to become responsible citizens of their communities and the nation (http://exploring.learningforlife.org/services/career-exploring/law-enforcement/). Exploring is learning for life's career education program for young men and women who are 14 (and have completed the eighth grade) or 15 to 20 years old. Adults are selected by the participating organization for involvement in the program. Color, race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, ethnic background, economic status, or citizenship is not criteria for participation. Exploring's purpose is to provide experiences to help young people mature and to prepare them to become responsible and caring adults. Explorers are ready to investigate the meaning of interdependence in their personal relationships and communities. Exploring is based on a unique and dynamic relationship between youth and the organizations in their communities. Departments or agencies initiate an Explorer post by matching their people and program resources to the interests of young people in the community. The result is a program of activities that helps youth pursue their special interests, grow, and develop (http://exploring.learningforlife.org/wp-content/documents/Exploring_Law-Enforcement-Program-Overview.pdf.) Not only does this program help juveniles to become responsible adults, but it also pushes children to finish school and go on to college by awarding scholarships. The Explorer's program offers the following, an ATF Special Agents' Law Enforcement Explorer $1,000 Scholarship (one awarded), Capt. James T. Regan Memorial Law Enforcement Explorer $500 Scholarship (two awarded), DEA Drug Abuse Prevention Service Award, $1,000 Recognition, National Young American Award $7,500 Grant, Sheryl A. Horak Memorial Law Enforcement Explorer $1,000 Scholarship, and the U.S. Federal Investigators Law Enforcement Explorer $500 Scholarship (http://exploring.learningforlife.org/wp-content/documents/Exploring_Law-Enforcement-Program-Overview.pdf.) I think that sometimes young teens pull away from certain programs because they feel like it won't benefit them in any type of way, and one thing about teens is, if they think its doing them any good and they feel as though it's wasting their time, they will remove themselves from it. But with this program, it gives them the push to do better knowing they have a chance with these scholarships. This even gives them a chance to become an employee for their local police departments, or any type of crime prevention programs. I called the Explorer's Program and spoke with Doug Brown, Director of General Activities and he stated that he does not yet have any statistical information for this programs as we speak, but it is something that he is working on, to put on the website.

An issue that I tend to notice about children and young adults is that they fall for peer pressure. Many children join gangs and other negative activities such as selling drugs, lighting fires, skipping school, etcetera, just because they were pressured into doing it. I think when they have something positive to talk about it makes a difference in school, at home, and other people within there communities. Positive accomplishments always out way the negative. When children see other children doing things in life that are fun, exciting, and positive, it always makes them want to do it or join in.

After researching this crime prevention Explorer's program it made me want to see if we had this type of program in the local Washington, DC Metro area and it does. Here is some information that I found on the local area program; The Arlington County Police Department is in the process of forming its Law Enforcement Explorer Post. We are Explorer Post #1940 (corresponding to the year in which the Arlington County Police Department was formed) within the National Capital Area Council. Law Enforcement Exploring is a young adult program of the Learning for Life Organization for men and women aged 14 (having completed the eighth grade) or 15 through 20 years of age. Discrimination of any kind is not permitted for involvement with the Explorer Program. The purpose of exploring is to provide experiences to help young people mature and to prepare them to become responsible and caring adults. Explorers are ready to investigate the meaning of interdependence

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