Teen interested in Law Enforcement Summer Internship
I realize that it's a bit early, but thought I'd solicit some opinions / experiences / suggestions for a 17 year old boy who is interested in learning more about becoming a police officer. A little daunting for me to think about, but it's something he is interested in and I was curious about any summer programs where he could intern on that or possibly make a small amount of money doing a summer job in that area. I read about something called the Oakland Police Explorers, but there wasn't a lot of information about that. Any feedback would be appreciated.
Nov 6, 2018
Parent Replies
Police explorers is a coed branch of Boy Scouts. In my town (not Oakland) it is very well run and the police officer mentors do a very good job. Explorers is the program for high school students. For college students there is a cadet program that is paid.
I've known teens who have done & are doing the Piedmont Police Explorers program, which is part of the Boy Scouts program although you do not need to be a Boy Scout to participate. (https://piedmontpoa.org/about/piedmont-police-department-explorers-prog…) It seems like a good one that attracts many students, including one or two girls. I also know some of the staff at Piedmont Police Station who are great with teenagers. Piedmont Police believe in building positive relationships with the residents and community, and the town is small enough that I think they have been successful. The Explorers even attended a training/competition in Arizona that made it into the news. (https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2017/04/19/teens-get-taste-of-law-enforcem…)
Even though the sight of guns makes me so nervous, I'm glad to see teens pursuing what interests them and taking the initiative to learn what it's all about. It's good to do that when they're young and have the time to explore. I volunteer with Boy Scouts, and one of the best guest speakers came from the FBI. The boys were captivated by his presentation. One boy asked what kind of grades he needed to be able to join the FBI. It was motivating.