Members of Champaign Police Department Explorer Post 258 recently attended the 2018 National Law Enforcement Explorer Conference, held July 16-21, at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. Law Enforcement Explorers is a career-oriented program providing young adults an introduction into the field of policing. This marked the first time the Champaign Police Department attended the national conference since the Explorer program was restarted in 2014.
The conference welcomed more than 2600 explorers from approximately 260 local, county, state and federal law enforcement agencies. Explorers from the Champaign Police Department included Kourtney Ewerks (20), Ty Alexander (20) and Jacob Terven (19). They were joined by Champaign Officers and program advisors Mike Talbott, Shelly Dominguez and Ashley Eisenbart.
The five-day event unites Explorer teams from around the country to compete against one another in various law enforcement competitions, testing their knowledge, skills and teamwork. Champaign Police Explorer Post 258 participated in several team and individual-based competitions, including felony suspect arrest and search, hostage negotiations, bomb threats, officer down/tactical EMS care and written and physical exams, among others. Educational seminars were also available, addressing leadership, vehicle inspections, ICAT (Integrating Communications, Assessment, and Tactics) and response to active shooters.
“This program and conference is a great chance to learn more and to establish a foundation into the field of law enforcement as a possible career, and we are very proud of how our explorers competed and took advantage of the opportunity,” said Officer Talbott. “They represented the City of Champaign and the Champaign Police Department well, earning high compliments from many conference evaluators and from their peers.”
Those interested in a career in law enforcement and wish to join Champaign Explorer Post 258 are encouraged to apply now. Applications are currently being accepted for the Fall 2018 recruiting class. To learn more and to complete an application, please visit our website – https://champaignil.gov/police-explorer-program.