Stearns County Is Looking For Young People Ready To Train Like Deputies

ST. CLOUD (WJON News) -- Young people interested in a career in law enforcement are encouraged to sign up for the Stearns County Sheriff's Office Explorer Program.

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Sheriff Steve Soyka says the applicants can be between the ages of 14 and 21, and they can stay in the program for multiple years.

The kids can stay in it until the age of 21. We'll have high school age kids and kids that go off to Alex Tech for law enforcement or Willmar or Brainerd, and they remain in the post.  As you stay in the post and get more experience, you become one of the leaders.

They have about 20 to 30 spots available.

Soyka says it's how he got his start in the career.

I was in it from when I was a freshman in high school, right up to when I turned 21 at St. Cloud State.  I was at SCSU for criminal justice, and I was still involved as a lieutenant of the post. I left the post when I got hired in Benton County.

The program has been in existence since 1976.

Soyka says people enrolled in the Explorer Program have doors open for them.

For instance, I was in it during high school, and I ultimately got hired here by the sheriff's office to work in our water patrol and parks division in high school and college. It also opened the doors to be a community service officer at the St. Cloud Police Department.

Soyka says at one point about 64 percent of the staff at the Stearns County Sheriff's Office came from the Explorer Program. He says over 500 people in the program have gone on to have jobs in law enforcement.

This is one of the only explorer programs in Central Minnesota, so young people who enroll come from several area counties.

Explorers learn procedures from everyday law enforcement scenarios, report writing, defensive tactics, and arrest protocol. They are also taught CPR and basic First Aid.

An informational meeting is coming up on Sunday, August 23rd, at 7:00 p.m. at the Stearns County Administration Center. They start in September and run through May, meeting on Sunday nights during the school year.

You can email SheriffExplorer@stearnscountymn.gov for more information.