Crime & Safety

Police Explorers Offer Experience, Community Service

Montville Police youth group gears up for competition.

For A.J Herring, a career in law enforcement has been a lifelong dream. As a means to that end, the 19-year-old joined the Police Explorers.

"I wanted to pursue a career as long as I could remember," he said. "I've been an explorer for a little over two years. It's a great insight into different aspects of police"

Started in 1983, the Montville Police Explorers program was designed to help local youth learn about the inner workings of the police department, as well as provide them with an opportunity to serve their community.

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Frank Cooney, head Advisor for the explorers and Patrolman on the Township's police force, sees the program as both an inroad for those interested in becoming police and as means for youth to better be a part of the Township.

"The good thing about it is that it's not just for kids who want to be officers," he said. "It is a good way to serve the community in a positive way and it keeps at-risk children out of trouble."

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The program is designed for children ages 14 to 21. It requires that all participants maintain a "C" average in school, posses no criminal record, remain drug and alcohol free and complete a six-month probationary period. In addition, all participants must have full parental approval.

According to Cooney, the explorers meet, on average, once a week. Meetings consist of training classes, where the children learn how to handle domestic violence calls, burglaries, learn about the department and participate in ride-alongs with officers.

"The ride-alongs let us work with officers for a few hours," Herring said. "Most of the time, if its not too extreme, we sit in on calls, as long as it seems safe enough."

Herring went on to explain that, if a call is deemed too dangerous for an explorer, the office in charge will drop them off with a non-responding officer before handling the call.

The explorers also attend a nine-day academy session at the Morris County Police Academy, where they undergo daily classroom training.

"The go through a smaller version of what we go through as police officers," Cooney said.

In addition to classes and training sessions, the explorers also occasionally aid the police force with basic duties, such as directing traffic. Most recently, the group assisted the police in covering the Montville Fourth of July celebration. While its function is not as an auxiliary police force, Cooney is happy to have the help.

"With situations like a missing person, we've activated the explorers, helped us search the fields," he said. "Its good to have a little extra man power.

Cooney is pleased with the relationship his group has maintained with the Township.

"The community is amazing," he said. We're very well received. Everything we do is through fundraising, we don't get any tax dollars, and people are overwhelmingly supportive in everything we do."

Currently, the explorers are gearing up for the National Law Enforcement Exploring Contest, taking place in Atlanta, Georgia, running from July 19 through 24. Historically, they have done well: the squad finished in the top 10 percent of the nation for Bomb Threat Response in 2004, second overall for Community Service Post Development in 2006 and fifth overall in Emergency First Aid in 2008.

Cooney has high hopes for this year.

"We do well," he said. "There hasn't been a year that we haven't come home with something."

Because the national competition takes place every two years, this will be Herring's first time.

"I joined a week before nationals two years ago," he said. "I'm very excited, but it is stressful. So many classes, multiple times a week, getting ready for all the different events."

However, the workload has not altered his end goal of a life in law enforcement. His desire is "stronger than before."


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