By Tim Clifford

On Nov. 2 the Burien Police Department will hold its inaugural kick-off meeting of the new Police Explorer program for teenagers and young adults who are interested in a career in public service. The meeting will be held at the Burien Police station, located at 14905 6th Ave. S.W., starting at 7 p.m.

“Many of our police officers were once explorer scouts themselves earlier in life. Exploring teaches teens important principles including good citizenship, life skills, and leadership,” stated the Burien PD in a Facebook post announcing the meeting.

The Police Explorer’s program is an off shoot of the Boy Scouts of America’s Learning For Life program and offers young participants the opportunity join in on ride-a-longs, volunteer opportunities and law enforcement training. This is also touted to be a great networking opportunity for teens who are considering working in the criminal justice field.

Participants must be between the ages of 14 to 20-years-old and have completed the eighth grade. The program is endorsed by numerous professional organizations including the International Chiefs of Police Association (ICPA) and the National Sheriff’s Association (NSA).

As described on the Learning for Life program’s website “Law Enforcement Exploring has been in existence since 1959 and is a well-established and highly respected program that has served as a platform from which countless young adults have launched a successful career with local, county, state and federal law enforcement agencies. Many Chiefs of Police, Sheriffs, and heads of other types of law enforcement agencies credit Law Enforcement Exploring for providing them the foundation for a successful career.”

Parents and teens are welcome to walk-in and join. According to the Learning for Life site the annual fee for participants in their programs is $24 annually. More information and details on future activities will be provided at the meeting.