Crime & Safety

Oakdale Police Explorers Win Big at Nationals

The Oakdale Police Explorers competed at the 2012 National Law Enforcement Exploring Conference in Colorado last month — taking home a first-place prize.

The Oakdale Police Explorers came home feeling better than ever.

The Oakdale Police Explorers competed in the National Law Enforcement Exploring Conference at Colorado State University July 16-20. More than 2,500 explorers from around the country tested their knowledge and skills at the conference. 

Police Explorers is a career-mentoring program for youth from 14 to 20 years old.

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The five-day conference provided a variety of competition scenarios, including crime-scene search, emergency first aid, burglary investigations and traffic accidents. Federal agencies also provided seminars on leadership, surveillance techniques, cyber security and narcotics, among several more.

The Oakdale Police Explorers took home first place in Burglary Investigations and second place in Traffic Accidents. The group was also in the top 10 percent for Street Decisions scenarios — commonly called "Shoot or Don't Shoot." 

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"We have a genuine, good stable base of kids that really take it seriously," said Oakdale Police Officer Michelle Stark. "They have a lot of fun with it and love the community involvement."

Stark spearheaded the program in Oakdale back in 2007. The Oakdale Police Department usually recruits between 20-25 youth each year. On average, about 16-18 stay in the program, Stark said.

Alex Nonnemacher, 19, has stuck with the program since its inception. He was 14 years old when he first joined the program and he plans to continue until he's too old to particpate. 

"I knew I wanted to help people as a career, so started thinking of law enforcement when I was younger," Nonnemacher said. "This program provides experience and an opportunity to work with different police officers and learn what they deal with throughout their career."

Nonnemacher is a graduate and is currently pursuing a law enforcement degree at Minnesota State University-Mankato. Nonnemacher eventually hopes to work his way into a federal branch of government.

This year was the second time Nonnemacher has competed in nationals.

"We’re all extremely happy with what we got at nationals," Nonnemacher said. "We couldn’t have asked for anything more."

Nonnemacher said the program is worthwhile for anyone, even if you're not planning a career in law enforcement.

"It's an excellent way to get to know the community and see what officers do," he said. 

 

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