Officer in training

Ashton Rouillard is busy on a recent warm summer Wednesday, crisply directing traffic on Center Street in a police uniform so pedestrians can safely traverse downtown Grayslake's evening farmers market.

Only upon close inspection of her patch can one tell that Rouillard, 20, of Grayslake, isn't a cop. Instead, she's working toward that goal as a member of the Grayslake Police Department Explorers.

"I highly recommend it," Rouillard said during a break in her farmers market duties. "It's a great experience. Even if you don't want to get into law enforcement, it's a lot of fun."

Grayslake police hope there are 10 great reasons for those ages 14 to 21 to participate in the Explorer post.

Participants are now eligible to earn 10 college credit hours if they spend at least a year as an Explorer. Three credit hours were offered in the past.

Community service officer Steve Teschner, who helps to advise the program, said an Explorer must in good standing, 18 years or older and enrolled at College of Lake County with at least a C average for the credits to count.

In addition, the Explorers seeking college credit must volunteer at least 32 hours per month for the two-semester program.

Teschner said no other Illinois police department offers Explorers the chance to attain 10 college credits. The credits can be transferred from CLC to a four-year university.

Along with the college credits, said Teschner, the Explorers' hands-on experiences should give them a leg up when seeking a full-time police job.

"To be honest with you, it looks amazing on a resume," he said.

Explorers aren't out actively busting bad guys, but they do get to direct traffic at special events and ride with on-duty Grayslake police officers. The young adults, who don't have to live in Grayslake, get two hours of classroom training each Thursday.

"The typical duty is to observe and learn," Teschner said. "That's the extent of what we expect of them."

Another Explorer adviser, Grayslake police officer Joe Manges, said the opportunity to earn the 10 college credits likely will create more interest in the program.

Grayslake's Explorers have been making a splash in various competitions.

Over the summer, the Explorers received a first-place award in rapid deployment and a second-place for domestic situations and accident investigations at a Springfield event.