Sleepy Hollow Police Explorer program allows training, service opportunities

The Police Explorer program taught Naveed Bhatti how to be competitive.

Since he was a kid, he knew he wanted to be a police officer - a dream that was reinforced when, at 14, he was witnessing firsthand what it takes to pursue a law enforcement career. As a Chicago Police Explorer, he learned how to work a radar, write reports and turn on the lights in a cop car. He got to interact with the community and participate in mock scenario training.

"It taught me how to put on a uniform and wear it well," said Bhatti, now a full-time Sleepy Hollow police officer. "It set me apart from individuals on the first day of this job."

When the Sleepy Hollow Police Department soon launches its own Explorer program, Bhatti will be on the other side, running the program and acting as an adviser.

Affiliated with Boy Scouts of America, the coed program allows students 14 to 21 to get hands-on police training experience while also providing community service, Police Chief James Linane said.

"We're taking young people and making them more a part of the community, more familiar with law enforcement, more public servant-minded," he said, noting that he has experience working with an Explorer program when he was the police chief in Elburn. "We'll answer their questions and give them opportunities they don't normally experience."

In most local Explorer programs, Bhatti said, the size of the group varies from 10 to 30, allowing officers to meet each student's individual needs.

Interested participants from Sleepy Hollow or the surrounding villages must submit an application, which will be reviewed by police officials, Linane said. A 2.0 grade-point average is required.

Each Explorer will have to pay an annual $25 fee for insurance purposes, and they may be required to raise funds for their own uniforms and equipment throughout, Linane said.

Monthly meetings will begin once a group is formed, Bhatti said. From there, the department will schedule activities, such as competitions with other Explorer posts, mock scenario training sessions and community events, where Explorers may be expected to regulate traffic and interact with the public.

Additionally, Explorers will learn search and rescue techniques, accident report and ticketing skills and how to respond to calls - experiences that aren't offered in high schools, Village President Stephan Pickett said.

"From an educational standpoint, (this program) is absolutely fantastic," he said. "I'm a big advocate of education, and it doesn't necessarily have to be academic. There's a vocational line that tends to be ignored or forgotten. This is an opportunity for people who would like to go into law enforcement."

Not only is the program a benefit for the students and the community, Linane said, but it also serves as a positive experience for the department and its officers.

"It puts us in closer contact with the kids and with residents and parents," he said. "We're trying to make sure that the image of the police in the community is that we're there to help them."