Just this week, another school shooting occurred, this time in Santee, California.
A youth who reportedly smiled as he fired a long-barreled handgun took the lives of two students and injured 13 others.
By:
It is not so much that negative news about young people is all you ever hear these days. It’s just that these stories can be so overwhelming, they can silence or weaken the voices of stellar young people and of programs that positively benefit youth.
In this time of uncertainty, when chaos and the urge to cause devastation seem to have polluted some of our youths, let us remind ourselves of a local program that works for the best interests of our young, with a goal of turning them into fine, upstanding citizens.
The Bordentown City Police Department is looking for youngsters interested in joining its Explorers program.
The nine-year-old program is an obvious symbol that all is not lost with our youth.
Focused on training young people in fields of law enforcement or emergency medical service, the program extends beyond those occupational boundaries to provide all of its young members with a sense of discipline, respect and responsibility. We are always on the lookout to promote programs and organizations whose goal is not to give up on our young but to provide them with skills that will follow them for the rest of their lives.
Several students recently graduated from the program, creating vacancies we’d love to see filled.
By the age of 20, Explorers are well-versed in police procedures, car stops, self-defense, tactical raids and crime scene study, in addition to learning crowd control and law enforcement. Former Explorers have gone on to save lives and have successful careers in law enforcement or emergency management, among other pursuits.
While they may not get the headlines the Californian student murderer recently received, their quiet, diligent, day-to-day work emits its own special power .
The program trains youths between the ages of 14 and 20. Those interested in joining, or in receiving more information, can contact Bordentown City Chief Philip Ca
