Among the Redmond Police Department’s community outreach programs, the award-winning Redmond Police Explorer Post 2913 offers volunteers, ages 14-21, opportunities to learn firsthand about law enforcement, while assisting officers with training scenarios, traffic control, collecting evidence items from crime scenes and more. Explorers also help out at community events such as Derby Days and Redmond Lights.
Young people from the Redmond Post “swept” the awards categories at the State Explorer Academy in Yakima last month, according to their advisor, Redmond Police Officer Julie Beard.
THE CREAM OF THE CROP
Beard mentioned Redmond Explorer Post Captain Trent Beavers as a prime example of the dedicated young people who admirably represent the city.
“Trent just wrapped up over three years of services to the department and has now aged out of our program as of Dec. 31,” said Beard. “Trent applied for and was selected as a Patrol Sergeant for the Academy Police Department (APD), the mock police department that lasts for the entire week of the academy. They responded to over 1,000 calls for service, each one from a mock scene — from graffiti and traffic violations to a hostage situation and arson investigation. … They use real radios and a dispatch system borrowed from Yakima PD to respond to these calls and we use real defense attorneys and prosecutors in our mock court,” Beard stated. “Two of them participate in a Fight for Life, which Trent was chosen for last year. Ask him about the bruises he left on the Lacey Police Officer in his over five-minute ground fight last winter.”
Eight Redmond Explorers attended the latest academy.
Explorer Adam Berns took Top Overall in the Advanced Academy, based on his combination of physical fitness, firearms and academic scores throughout the week.
Explorer Tyler Phelan was selected as a Platoon Leader in the Advanced Academy, only one of three selected.
Explorer Felicia Archuleta took second place in Females in Physical Fitness, with a time that actually beat the majority of the males in attendance, said Beard.
Explorer Jarid Westover was selected as a Platoon Leader in the Basic Academy, one of only six selected.
LEARNING FROM THE PROS
Not all, but most, members of the Police Explorers are contemplating careers as police officers.
Beavers, a Redmond High School grad now attending Bellevue College, said his initial interest was in forensic science but he’s now leaning toward law enforcement “because it constantly changes, you never know what to expect,” and because his interactions with police officers have “cemented” his fascination with the work they do.
Phelan’s dad was a police officer and he joined the Explorers to gain more insight into this possible career path.
“I love it. It’s awesome. It gives you a concrete picture of all the pros and cons,” said Phelan, who graduated from Bellevue Christian School and is now a student at Seattle Pacific University.
Berns, a Redmond High School junior, is still undecided about his career choice but said that membership in Explorers has allowed him to “ask questions, pick officers’ brains, get a close-up look at what they do.”
RISKS AND REWARDS
Police work is inherently dangerous. Six recent cop killings in the Seattle and Tacoma areas have brought increased attention to the fact that even those who strive to protect the community are vulnerable to random acts of violence.
So why would anyone want to become a police officer, or a Police Explorer, in these frightening times?
“It disheartens me that it’s happening,” Phelan replied. “I pray for the families every day. But it makes me want to do it more. I want to put these people away, bring justice.”
Beavers agreed, “It’s not all fun and games. When we see an officer getting killed, it affects us. We’ve been part of a program that gets to our hearts because we work closely with police and get to know them well.”
Said Berns, “What appeals to me is the teamwork, working together for a cause, the brotherhood within the law enforcement community.”
Phelan said that going to the academies, twice a year for five days at a time, has been especially rewarding: “You get fully immersed, learn more than ever, shoot firearms, do mock scenes. These are opportunities that most teens don’t get.”
And this month, Phelan and some of his peers will take part in a United States Secret Service training drill. The Explorers will play the “bad guys” in a SWAT team scenario.
“It’s amazing how many opportunities we get to ride along with police,” Berns added.
Plus, every ride-along is different, the Explorers stated.
Because officers never know what they might encounter, they keep in close touch with others in their district and establish rapport with citizens who routinely are “out and about” and observant of their neighborhood activity, especially late at night.
“Officers rotate from daytime to graveyard shifts,” Phelan noted. “It teaches us not to get into a predictable routine, not to let our guard down.”
And when officers come across a suspicious or potentially deadly situation, most instinctively know it, he said.
“Some officers have said the hair on the back of their neck stands up when they know something is wrong,” he explained.
JOINING POLICE EXPLORERS
Each Explorer commits to at least four hours of community service a month, attending meetings on the first and third Tuesdays at 7 p.m. at the Redmond Police headquarters. Explorers at the Redmond Post don’t have to be Redmond residents, but each must complete a written application, pass an oral board and a thorough background check and have a minimum 2.0 grade point average. Interested young people should contact Officer Julie Beard at jbeard@redmond.gov, (425) 556-2659 or (425) 556-2577.
