The Winter Haven Police Department has opened the Explorers program for young men and women who have completed the eighth grade and are at least 14 years of age but have not yet reached their 21st birthday.
Law Enforcement Explorer posts help youth gain insight into a variety of programs that offer hands-on career activities. For young men and women who are interested in careers in the field of law enforcement, Exploring offers experiential learning with lots of fun-filled, hands-on activities that promote the growth and development of adolescent youth.
All Explorer applicants must meet the following requirements:
- Be between the ages of 14 and 21
- Not have been convicted of any serious crime
- Be free of any mental or physical disabilities which would limit participation or place the program and its members in jeopardy of any civil liability.
- Maintain a minimum of a 2.0 GPA in school
- Be willing to abide by the rules and regulations of the Post
What can l expect as a Law Enforcement Explorer?
You can expect to have fun, learn a lot about the field of law enforcement, and to meet some really great people who are interested in helping you learn about the career field of law enforcement. When you become a certified Explorer you will be given a class A uniform, which is similar to that of the police officer.
Explorer Activities
- National Law Enforcement Explorer Activities and training
- Weekly or bi-monthly administrative meeting and training
- Patrol “ride-a-longs”
- Community Service
- Honor Guard
- Search and Rescue (some ESAR posts specialize in this)
- Radio Procedure (how to properly use police radios)
- Traffic Stops (how to perform traffic stops)
- High Risk Car Stops (how to pull over a vehicle deemed wanted for felony or violent crimes)
- Building/ Cell Searches (how to search structures for people or evidence)
- Crime Scene Investigations (how to search for, log, and process evidence such as fingerprints and DNA)
- Arrest Control (how to properly defend oneself and arrest a suspect)
- Active Shooter (how to engage a gunman in high-risk situations)
- Hostage Negotiations (taking control of a situation through conversation)
- Report Writing (how to properly write a police report)
- Domestic Disputes (how to handle domestic conflicts)
- Weapon Training (Baton, Firearms, Aerosol Control Device (in most cases, Oleoresin Capsicum), Electronic Control Devices)
- 911 Disconnect Call (how to approach an unknown call)
- Signal 13 Calls (how to approach a S-13 properly) Bomb Threat Response (how to approach the situation with officer safety)
- Burglary In Progress
- Emergency Field First Aid
- Shoot / Don’t Shoot