When Pfc. Chris Davis was in high school he did not know if he wanted to be a teacher or a police officer.

Then he joined the Howard County Police Department's Law Enforcement Explorer program and his destiny was sealed.

"It wasn't the same thing every day. There was excitement to it," Davis said, reminiscing about his time in the program.

Now 33, Davis runs the county's Explorer program, introducing Howard residents between the ages of 14 and 21 to police work.

At an environmental festival in Glenwood April 5, Explorer cadet Mike McChesney, a 16-year-old Atholton High School student, helped direct traffic.

McChesney said he enjoyed being out in public helping people, and better yet, "I get to hang out with police officers," he said.

Founded in Howard in 1978 as part of a national program organized by the Boy Scouts of America, the local Explorer program currently has 25 members who train each Monday night at the James N. Robey Public Training Center, in Marriottsville.

Cadets learn the basics of police work including the fundamentals of an arrest, search and seizure, traffic stops, accident reconstruction and subduing a suspect, Davis said.

The cadets currently are preparing for a national conference in Colorado where they will compete using their newfound skills.

Outside of their training, cadets ride along with police officers, serve as mentors to elementary-aged children, and assist in parking details at the county fair and other events, Davis said.

JROTC a training ground

Most young cadets are recruited through Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps programs at Atholton, Howard and Oakland Mills high schools, Davis said. Those programs train young people to enter the military and many find the transition to police work interesting, he added.

Anthony Harris, 18, a freshman at Howard Community College, is planning on joining the military after college, but thinks he may eventually become a police officer.

He said he enjoys using the Explorer's computer-simulated training device called "Shoot/Don't Shoot."

The program, which is controlled by an officer, aims to train cadets in methods of talking to suspects and the appropriate situations in which to use force.

"It teaches you the best way to react to people," Harris said.

Nick Trapani, 19, of Woodbine, is a freshman at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, where he is studying law enforcement and computer information systems. He learned about the Explorer program through his father, Sgt. David Trapani, who works for the county police.

The younger Trapani wants to work in federal law enforcement using his computer and policing skills. He is considering joining the FBI. The Explorer program helps explain career options to people like him interested in police work, he said.

"There are so many possibilities they can have in law enforcement," he said.

Davis agreed. "The best way to decide whether you want to do this job is to be an Explorer," he said. "You can decide at an early age whether it's something you want to do."

E-mail Mike Santa Rita at msantarita@patuxent.com.

---

user comments (0)