At the age of 15, he doesn’t have his license yet but he is already on the streets directing traffic, working with police, and learning to write police reports.

Stephen Sopek, sophomore, discovered his passion for working in the law enforcement field last year when he joined the Lake Zurich Explorers. He has been working with Lake Zurich police officers in training classes and has had first hand experience on the road.

“I’m actually thinking about being in the FBI like a field agent,” Sopek said smiling. “Ever since I was nine, I felt like it would be something I would really enjoy doing, and my dad is a police officer in Elgin and he is my inspiration.”

Sopek and other members of the group have the opportunity to work with officers like Sgt. Robert Johnson with the Lake Zurich Police.

“While I have not known Stephen long,” Johnson said, “his focus and dedication makes me believe he is likely to be successful with anything he may choose to do. I certainly believe he is capable of assuming a leadership role in Post 2 in the future, if he so desires. He shows a strong willingness to learn and to participate in Post activities.”

Sopek is in the Explorers group, where he attends classes every Tuesday to work with police officers and gain experience and learn from them. There are around 15-30 students involved and they learn about different topics like CPR, how to work with traffic, leadership skills, and how to write police reports.

“We work with officers and you to get a lot of experience to see if you want to be in the law enforcement,” Sopek said. “Also we learn about different topics and get to know about what the officers do.”

Sopek and the other members in the program can be found at the local farmers markets, car shows in downtown, and at major events around the town like the Fourth of July fireworks.

“My favorite part of being in this program is that I get to learn skills that are helpful to know if you want to be in law enforcement,” Sopek said. “You also get to talk to the officers and get to know them.”

Sopek plans to stay in the program as long as he can to learn as much as he can so he can continue his dream to be in law enforcement.

“I have seen him find something that allows him to channel his focus and his willingness to serve his community. I believe, over time, this will strengthen him as a person,” Johnson said.

“I want to follow him [his father] because he is a police officer,” Sopek said. “I think this job interests me also because it’s an active job and not a job, for example, where you’re sitting behind a desktop the whole day.”