I had gone back and forth over what I wanted to do when I grew up for years.  As I got older, I stressed more and more because time was running out and all my friends seemed to have their lives already figured out, but joining Lake Zurich Police Explorer Post 2 changed everything for me. Law enforcement was something I always seemed to drift back to as a career, and this sealed the deal.

I have been in explorers for just over a year, and I am a corporal with a squad of six people.  Not only has explorers given me a chance to use my leadership skills, but also real world experience.

Explorers can show you every aspect of police work imaginable, from bomb searches to traffic stops to surveillance. It gives you information that cannot be found in a textbook. Real police officers are the ones instructing us, giving us an idea of the real world of police, not just what you see on TV. We get to sit in the dispatch (911), center and take notes on calls and observe the dispatchers. They’re incredible. If you think you’re good at multitasking, you should see them. They answer emergency calls, non-emergency calls, dispatch fire and police, manage alarm systems, and relay information to on-call officers all at the same time.

We also have the chance to do ride alongs, which is when we ride in the passenger side of a police car and go on calls with on duty officers. Having the chance to experience real police situations first hand is priceless. You definitely see the side of Lake Zurich no one else does. Police officers have to adapt to so many different situations in such a short amount of time and it’s really admirable. Sometimes I just sit there and think to myself, “this is where I belong. This is what I want to do.”

We also have the chance to help out the community and the police station itself. We have all been trained in traffic control, so for community events we sometimes help direct traffic. It was scary at first, especially since you could mess up and cause a car accident, but other people are always there to explain what to do and help you out, so now I feel very confident standing in the intersections. You get a little taste for some of the grouchy people police sometimes have to deal with, like when people are upset they can’t drive on their planned route or they have to stop and wait, but that’s great experience for learning to deal with unhappy people while staying respectful and calm. It’s also amazing that we get to help out some of the officers that would otherwise have to be working OT at the events.  We also help set up and clean up events like Alpine Fest and Rock the Block. Although picking up garbage after an event doesn’t sound like that much fun to must teenagers, doing it with your best friends at one in the morning is actually pretty great.

As for the other members of the post, they are my family. Wearing long, bright yellow rain coats during Alpine Fest in the pouring rain for hours on end bonds people in a certain way that can’t be undone. I know no matter what problems I’m facing, I have a support system that will always be there for me. The police station is basically my second home. Almost everyone is planning on either going into some form of Law Enforcement or joining the Armed Forces.

Joining explorers allowed me to see a different perspective in the world of police I would have never have had the chance to experience. Though I do not plan on becoming a police officer or joining the Armed Forces at this time, I still want to protect my country and its people, so I am planning on working for a government agency like the FBI or Homeland Security. Having background knowledge on police work and leadership experience will benefit me so much in the future. I really love LZPD for letting teenagers shadow them on a regular basis. I don’t think they know how beneficial it is for us.