Palm Springs Explorers Bring Home the Bronze
Six Explorer scouts from the Palm Springs Police Department, competing in Las Vegas last weekend against 600 explorers from 43 police departments, emerged with a third place trophy in the Crime Scene Investigation category.
Many of the competitors represented much larger agencies, but the local team more than held its own.
The Palm Springs group consisted of Javier Lopez, Ramiro Jimenez, Jessica Carr, Brittany Gunkel, David Etcheson, and Ian May. They were graded on their overall observation skills, crime scene preservation skills, identification of evidentiary items, and overall team work.
Police Explorers are affiliated with the Boy Scouts of America. They are young men and women between the ages of 14 and 20. The program was created to help instill values in young people and, in other ways, to prepare them to make ethical choices during their lifetimes to aid the in achieving their full potential. Explorers gain practical experience in the career of law enforcement. They engage in activities centered on six experience areas (leadership, service, social, fitness, outdoor, and career) to encourage the development of the whole person.
Explorers receive training in many areas of Law Enforcement including: patrol duties, investigation, traffic control, evidence collection, radio operation, report writing, arrest and control techniques, jail operations, fingerprinting, and more. Explorers earn the privilege to go on ride-alongs. They also get the opportunity to go to events including: Exploring competitions, training academies, and joint Explorer outings.
More information about the Palm Springs Police Explorer Post can be found at: www.pspd.com/policeexplorers.html.