Beginning, Monday June 17-21, the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office Explorer Post 816 will be hosting the Florida Sheriff’s Explorer Association Summer Delegates. Twenty-six Explorer posts will be representing twenty counties from across Florida. Each post is comprised of young adults, males and females ages 14 to 21 years old that are exploring the field of law enforcement.
The Explorer post is a non-profit group that works to try and bridge the gap between law enforcement and our community’s youth. Throughout the school year, the Explorer post meets twice a month and covers the basics of law enforcement training. These meetings also encompass building the confidence and self-esteem of the youth in the program. Along with the meetings, there are many opportunities for these young adults to complete community service hours which can be applied to high school graduation, college scholarships, and even be used for job applications.
This summer the teams will be descending on Osceola County to compete in a series of law enforcement based scenarios. These scenarios include many aspects of what a law enforcement officer does which includes a fifty round shooting competition, Felony Traffic Stops, Building Searches, and Active Shooter scenarios.
Senior Advisor for the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office Explorer Post 816 and current Vice President of the FSEA, James Froelich shared, “I enjoy working with this youth program and seeing the kids come in and become productive members of society. I work on building the self-confidence and self-esteem of these youth so they can not only survive in today’s world but thrive.”
During the conference explorers also get the opportunity to network with each other and build relationships that are an extension of what is felt in law enforcement with the “Thin Blue Line”. In addition, a new Explorer board is elected at this time. At the culmination of the week, there is an awards presentation where the top three teams in each scenario are awarded trophies, Explorers are selected for “Explorer of the Year” and “Leadership Awards”, and the new Explorer board is sworn into place.
By providing programs such as the Florida Sheriff’s Explorer Association Summer Delegates, law enforcement is not only setting great examples in the community but also providing valuable life lessons and making a positive difference in the lives of our youth!
