Law enforcement explorer program gives St. Joseph youth hands-on experience

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) -- The St. Joseph Police Department and the Buchanan County Sheriff's Office hosted its Law Enforcement Explorer Program on Monday evening.

The program gives young adults a hands-on look at careers in criminal justice. It is open to young adults ages 14 to 20 who are enrolled in school, maintain passing grades and demonstrate strong character.

Applicants also must have no criminal offenses on their record.

During Monday night's meeting, participants learned techniques officers use to de-escalate potentially tense situations. Participants started the evening with classroom instruction, then moved outside for a hands-on de-escalation exercise.

Sgt. James Edwards said the program was inspired by the opportunity to connect with young people.

"The ability to reach out to the youth that is interested in career in law enforcement," he said. "We do have a wide range of kids in here, some of them might have the opportunity or the desire to be a cop in the future."

The program is able to give the youth a different perspective on policing.

"A lot of people have a negative connotation when it comes to policing. I think that by being able to interact with the youth, and getting on a personal level with the youth, and having this program, I think it would help with the relationship building with the youth," Sgt. Edwards said. "Also give them insight of 'we're people too, we're human and we can relate'."

The program includes scenarios involving traffic stops, building searches, radio communications and other law enforcement activities. The exercises are similar to situations officers commonly encounter in the field.

"Obviously, we don't use real weapons anything like that, but just kind of the dialogue involved in those scenarios are pretty similar to calls I've been on, and I've personally experienced," Edwards said.

Martrehz Thurston said he joined the Explorer program to get a head start on a career in law enforcement.

"I just really enjoy working with law enforcement, so that's my biggest thing," he said.

Another participant said the hands-on training and real-world scenarios are his favorite aspects of the program.

"Traffic stops, learning how to de-escalate situations, and learning how to communicate with possible suspects in the vehicle," said Jazir Stiooman.

Edwards said anyone interested should come out and give the program a try.

"Come on out and give it a try. You don't have to sign on right away, you don't have to sign any papers. You don't have to commit to anything," he said. Come out to one of our meetings, we'll be more than happy to have you.

The program operates year-round and currently meets on the second Monday of each month. Edwards hopes to eventually expand meetings to every other week.