By Donna Lind
At the November 19 City Council meeting, our new Explorer scouts were introduced and sworn in. They then participated in a badge pinning ceremony in which each new Explorer received their badges.
The Explores will assist with various community events such as the 4th of July Parade & Fireworks celebration, Music in Sky Park, Art & Wine Festival as well as available to assist in searching for lost or missing children or persons. There are many tasks that the Explorers will be able to assist with and this is also a wonderful opportunity to expose them to law enforcement for a possible future career.
Back in the 1970’s, the Scotts Valley PD had an Explorer program and most of those in the program later became involved in some form of law enforcement. The city lost the program in the 70’s due to staffing issues and not having someone able to make the strong commitment to the program that is necessary. It is very exciting to have that commitment from Lt. Steve Walpole Jr. and Officer Contreras as well as the other officers who have assisted.
Chief Weiss explained that when Lt. Steve Walpole came on board last January, it was a goal of his to bring an Explorer Program back to the Scotts Valley PD. The City Council agreed and approved the program.
Notices asking for applications for youth between the ages of 14 – 20 yrs old who were interested were sent out by the SVPD. Several applications were received and then an oral board and background check were conducted much like as happens for applicants for police officer positions. The PD was looking for young people with strong moral and ethical values with an interest in the community.
After testing, six young people were selected. Officer Contreras volunteered to take the lead in training the young explorers in basic police work including traffic control, crowd control, search techniques, evidence collection etc. The training included a full 8-hour training schedule with the assistance of other SVPD personnel and several additional weeks of training. Chief Weiss was advised that Lt. Steve Walpole felt they were ready to be officially sworn in and receive their badges.
Congratulations to our new Explorer Scouts.