INFO BOX

For more information about Scarborough’s Explorer Post, go to www.scarboroughpolice.com and click on the Explorer Post 883 link, or call Community Resource Officer Joe Giacomantonio at 730-4315

When Ryan Sargent was a freshman at Scarborough High School, he, like many other students, joined an extracurricular activity. For him, it was a perfect fit. It was fun, educational, taught him leadership skills and helped him prepare for life after high school.

Sargent, now 19, learned a few other things as well. He found out what to do at an accident site, how to talk on a police radio, how to fill out a report and even how to handle the scene of a burglary.

As a member of the Scarborough Police Department’s Explorer Post, Sargent discovered one other valuable thing – what he wanted to do with the rest of his life.

“My main goal is to work for the FBI,” said Sargent, who is now about to start running his family’s business, Scarborough Muffler. Eventually, he wants to continue what he began as an Explorer.

The Explorer Post began with the police department in Scarborough nine years ago, and is part of a national program for young adults between 15 and 21 years old. Explorers get to participate in the careers they find interesting to see if it’s something they want to pursue. The program is a part of Learning For Life, a national group that oversees a number of educational programs that add to schools’ curriculums to teach career education and character development.

Though law enforcement is one of the most popular choices – there are 3,500 posts nationwide involving about 60,000 students – students also have different options. Explorer programs exist within the business world, health-care industry, the arts, communications, engineering and even aviation. In each one, students are able to participate, either confirming that it’s right for them or helping them realize it isn’t what they thought it would be.

Scarborough’s Explorer Post has about eight to 10 members, said Joe Giacomantonio, the community resource officer who brought the program to Scarborough. Some members stayed on as employees, he said, though no one has yet become a full-time officer. About a half-dozen have stayed on as dispatchers or administrators.

“It’s a stepping stone to law enforcement,” said Giacomantonio. “The benefit is that we’ve known these guys for five or six years already.”

If and when they decide to go on to school to study law enforcement, he added, they are already a step ahead. “At school a lot of what they’re seeing is old news,” said Giacomantonio. “They’ve already had hands-on experience.”

Explorers can ride along with officers, said Giacomantonio, as long as it’s not a dangerous situation. If something happens suddenly, officers are instructed to drop off the Explorer somewhere safe before responding.

“All of it is very fun. There isn’t just one part that’s better than some,” said Sargent. “It’s pretty cool, especially when I go riding, it’s a rush.”

Besides learning about law enforcement within the Scarborough Police Department, the Explorers take bike trips, go hiking and sometimes get to experience someting really cool – like representing Maine in President George Bush’s inaugural parade in 2004.

This past summer, Sargent and the post attended a bi-annual Explorer conference in Arizona. They trained to compete in events such as physical fitness tests, biking and handling a domestic violence or burglary scenario. They also listened to speakers from the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and others who are all former Explorers.

Also, said Giacomantonio, the Explorers took classes at the conference and had the chance to look into a huge range of law enforcement careers.

“It was a great opportunity for them,” said Giacomantonio.

For Sargent, he not only learned different practical skills needed for law enforcement, but also the insight that despite challenges, it’s exactly what he wants to do.

“I learn a lot, we do a lot of hands-on training,” said Sargent. “It’s just a good time. If someone is interested in law enforcement, this is the way to go. Our training is really some of the best.”

Though he loves what he does as an Explorer, it was hard at times to deal with the repercussions at school, where some of his peers saw him and the police as an enemy only looking to get them in trouble.

“Keeping or making friends was hard,” said Sargent, who graduated in 2005. “You find out who your real friends are. But if you really want to do it, you can’t let them bother you,” he added. “I’m not for listening to what everyone says.”

“I have to admire these kids who are still in high school, who go out in town with their uniforms on,” said Giacomantonio. “There are some negative images of law enforcement out there, but they plug away. It isn’t always the coolest thing to say that you’re working the police,” he added. “These teens aren’t informants or anything like that. This is really like a job shadow.”

Giacomantonio brought the Explorer program to Scarborough in an effort to teach students about law enforcement, to help reverse some stereotypes and better connect the community with the police department.

“We weren’t connecting or interacting with youth in a positive way,” said Giacomantonio. “This is a good way for officers and youth to see each other in a more positive way.”

“I think it’s a great program,” said Chief of Police Robert Moulton. “It’s been really beneficial and it’s given a lot of folks the change to see what law enforcement is all about.”

Moulton also agreed that the Explorers help to break down misconceptions about the police.

“It’s one more way to reach out to kids,” said Moulton. “It also helps with the little extra things for the community that we couldn’t do otherwise.”

Giacomantonio hopes to one day expand the post to 15 members, and is constantly looking for more recruits. The Explorers meet every Tuesday and members arequired to maintain a C average without failing any classes.

“It’s definitely something that’s fun,” said Sargent. “It’s a life-changing experience. When you ask someone what the most exciting thing they did in high school was, it doesn’t even compare to what we did. I got to walk within 20 feet of the president.”

Explorers often help with special community events such as demonstrating the “seatbelt convincer.” They use the convincer to simulate crashes both with and without seatbelts.