Crime & Safety
Young Law Enforcement Hopeful: Explorers a Family
The 14-year-old Boonton resident plans a career in the field.
- Name: Sara Riccobono has been a Montville Township Police Explorer Post 805 for about a year. The Boonton resident joined the squad just before her 14th birthday. She is one of “five or six,” female Explorers she said. “Sometimes for PT [physical training] they pair girls together for some exercises,” Riccobono explained. “But for everything else, like scenarios and training, you can be paired with anyone.”
- Education: A sophomore at Boonton High School, Riccobono enjoys science. “I like experimenting with different things and seeing how things react,” she said. Riccobono is also very active in her community. “In my town I volunteer a lot,” she said. Riccobono helps with the Boonton food pantry, is active in her church, helps out with the Kiwanis Club, and teaches at the Bible study camp. She is also an alter server. “But I always make sure Explorers comes first.”
- Career: “I definitely want to go into law enforcement,” said Riccobono. “There’s no changing my mind now.” The Explorer sees herself as a local officer. “I would really like to go into federal,” she explained. “But local. And I want to be in the K-9 Unit if I stay local.”
- Why This Squad: Riccobono was introduced to the Police Explorers program through a Boonton Kiwanis First Aid Squad member who serves on the EMT squad with Riccobono’s mom. “I really owe it to him for being involved in this great program,” said Riccobono. “Honestly I didn’t know what I wanted to do when I came in here,” she added. “So, I joined, and my first meeting was at the FATS machine, which is a firearm simulator. It’s like a big video game. And I saw it, and I was nervous. I’d never dealt with a gun before, and it was fake, but still. And then we went to a class, and they taught you. And it was bomb scares. And I was just listening, and it really intrigued me. So I went home, and I researched, and that was it. I was done. I was hooked.
- Life Lesson Learned: “The self respect you have to give yourself and the respect you have to give others,” said Riccobono. “Because you do have people who are a higher authority than you. Your captain, even, like, your corporal or sergeant, you really have to respect them. And it teaches you a lot. If you don’t respect them, you get disciplined. So it’s a really good thing.” Riccobono noted that learning the ranks, like every other aspect of Police Explorers, can be confusing at first. “But, right away they would help me out,” she said. “And they were like, ‘This is how it goes.’”
- Most Rewarding: “Probably the fact that, knowing, that if I want it I am just that much closer to getting it,” said Riccobono of becoming a police officer. “And just knowing that I did something that a lot of kids can’t.” Riccobono explains that the discipline, physical training and studying are intense. This June she was among the 29 cadets who graduated from the Montville Police Department Law Enforcement Explorer Academy at the County of Morris Public Safety Training Academy. The eight day, overnight, program begins and ends each day with physical training. Each morning starts at 6:30, and bed time is 11 p.m. In between Explorers participate in classes, scenarios and law enforcement training. “My parents and friends said, ‘A lot of your friends right now are sitting home doing nothing,’” said Riccobono. “And my fellow Explorers and I we were at Academy. We were working hard. We were staying awake in class. We were learning.” Knowing that is very rewarding to Riccobono.
- Most Difficult: “I would have to say, sometimes, the events,” Riccobono explained. “Because, they kind of occur on your Saturdays, or whatever. But it’s really worth it. Because you make friends in the post, so it’s great. We’re a family. And when you get there, you’re not as upset. Like, you could be at the beach. But then when you get there it’s like, ‘My friends are here.’ So, it’s fine. It balances out.”
- Time: The Police Explorers program is challenging, but Riccobono finds the challenge invigorating. She feels that the community events she and her colleagues are assigned to, are valuable, and fill a real need in Montville. “If it didn’t, I don’t think I would be as interested as I am,” she said. Each week the time it takes to train and assist with events can vary greatly. She dedicates anywhere from two hours for a meeting, to three hours for scenario training, to all day for a community event. She hopes that when she and her fellow Explorers apply for law enforcement jobs that squads will look at their Explorer experience and say, “Okay, well they’re devoted to this. They joined when they were 13. They stuck with this all through high school. They clearly want this.”
- Favorite Thing About Montville Township: Because the Montville Police Explorers work events in Montville Township, Riccobono, who is from Boonton, has had to learn her way around Montville, Towaco and Pine Brook so she can direct traffic and answer questions for the public she is serving. “I like it because it’s a change in environment and a change in people,” said Riccobono. “I like meeting new people.”
- Hobbies: “Volunteering is like my number one thing,” Riccobono said. In addition to Explorers, church, Kiwanis alter serving, and the food pantry, Riccobono and her sister also make food for a homeless shelter in Florida each Thanksgiving. “I like doing stuff,” she said.
- Wants Others To Know About Explorers: “Explorers is a team effort. If you cannot work with a team, then this post may not be for you in the beginning, but they will bring you into it,” said Riccobono, who described herself as someone who liked to work alone before joining Police Explorers. “They’ll give you a buddy. They’re not going to leave you,” she added. “It’s a family. It’s really a team effort. You’re family once you get in here. We go on family trips together for team bonding. … We are a team. No one is going to leave you behind … you’re very included. It’s a family.”
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