Police - Youth Programs
Explorers Program
The Asheboro Police Department is offering youth and young adults ages 15-20 a unique opportunity to apply for membership in its new Law Enforcement Exploring Post. “Explorers,” as members are called, participate in classes taught by veteran officers on topics including crowd control, traffic direction, first aid, community policing, patrol techniques, and many others. Activities are also scheduled during which Explorers get hands-on experience in law enforcement and emergency techniques. Explorers gain confidence and life experience though the program and work toward the reward of a ride-along with a patrol officer. Explorers may also be assigned to accompany patrol officers in the field for special events.
Law Enforcement Exploring is offered to businesses, professional organizations, and civic groups by Learning for Life Corp., and is administered locally through the Boy Scouts of America. The police department partnered with the Boy Scouts to reestablish an Exploring Post similar to one hosted locally in the 1980s. Exploring is a career-education program in which young adults gain practical experience through their respective posts. Explorers learn about career opportunities, life skills, citizenship, character education, and gain leadership experience. They also grow from positive leadership fostered by the adults in the post, which offers a safe, supportive, caring, and fun environment.
Fifteen membership positions have been created for the police department’s post. Prospective members submit an application, which is reviewed and considered by post advisors. Those advisors vote on acceptance of new members. New members are notified of their acceptance and their first meeting date.
A post committee oversees the operation of the program. Advisors attend classes to supervise Explorers, help instruct, and answer questions, among their many duties. The post also has several female advisors that attend classes to offer comfort and support for female members. Explorers are issued uniforms and conduct their own business meetings. They are eligible to obtain rank and move up in the leadership of the post. Explorers have a voice about classes and activities in which they would like to participate.
Space in the Exploring program is limited so please contact the police department if you are interested in the program or are the parents of a young adult that may be interested. Contact post committee chairperson Master Lt. Maxine Wright or advisor Officer Carlos Morales at 626-1300. For more information about Learning for Life and Exploring, log on to www.learningforlife.org/exploring. For more information about the Boy Scouts of America, log on to www.scouting.org.
Drug Abuse Resistance Education - D.A.R.E.
Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) is a prevention program taught to the city’s fifth-grade students. The Asheboro Police Department and Asheboro City Schools sponsor the 10-week program. Officer W.R. “Russ” Smith visits each of the city’s five public schools and three private schools once a week during the spring to teach the program.
Smith introduces himself to the students during the program’s first week and tells them a little about his job as a police officer. Students learn that the police do more than arrest and write tickets. Police help others. That’s why most officers choose this profession. Smith tells the students that he’s no different than they are – except for the polyester suit and badge. Students learn that they can relate to police officers and see them as more than just a uniform.
Lessons focus on the dangers of alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, and other drugs, and how students can say “No!” to each of them. Students are taught how companies use advertising to entice young people to try their products. Students learn how to be confident when refusing drugs and are reminded of the many, many drug-free activities in which they can participate rather than use. Each school has a D.A.R.E. graduation or “culmination” ceremony, during which students hear a guest speaker and awards are presented.
The D.A.R.E. program has been taught in the Asheboro City Schools since 1987. Thousands of children have successfully graduated the program during its nearly 25-year history here. D.A.R.E. was created in 1983 in Los Angeles, Calif., and remains a successful and immensely popular program. D.A.R.E. is taught in more than 75 percent of the school districts in the United States and more than 43 countries around the world.
If you have a question or comment about the D.A.R.E. program, you may contact Smith at the police department, 626-1300. For more information, please click on www.dare.com.
G.R.E.A.T. Program
Gang Resistance Education and Training (G.R.E.A.T.) is a program taught to seventh graders in the Asheboro City Schools. The program provides students with skills to avoid gang membership, prevent violence and criminal activity, and develop a positive relationship with law enforcement. A uniformed police officer visits the students once a week for 13 weeks and shares with them information concerning facts and myths about gangs, students’ roles in their community, identifying and achieving goals, making good decisions, and many other life-skills topics.
The G.R.E.A.T. program has been taught in the city schools since 2007. The police officer, or instructor, for the program has to attend an 80-hour school to be certified to teach the curriculum. Officer W.R. “Russ” Smith is the G.R.E.A.T. instructor for the Asheboro Police Department. Smith received his certification during two-week training in Sumter, S.C.
Student must create and present a plan for a school or community service project to graduate from the program. Projects in the past have included raising money for bullet-proof vests for police dogs, donating canned foods to charity, removing gang graffiti from buildings, creating anti-violence posters, tutoring, and picking up trash at middle school campuses. Students showcase their acting skills during the program, practicing the skills that they have learned during weekly skits incorporated into the curriculum. More than 300 seventh graders participated in the program during fall 2009.
The G.R.E.A.T. program was created in Phoenix, AZ, in 1991, as a cooperative between police, educators, and community leaders. The cooperative was supported by funding from the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). The G.R.E.A.T. program is taught in more than 1400 communities nationwide. For more information about G.R.E.A.T., log on to www.great-online.org