CT Insider – By , Staff writer –
GLASTONBURY — Sgt. Brian Barao knew he wanted to be a police officer when he was 5 years old. So when he was 15, he immediately signed up for Suffield Police Department’s police explorer program.
I was first in line to sign up,” Barao said.
The police explorers program, in association with the North East Regional Law Enforcement Educational Association, is designed for teens and young adults ages 14 to 21 to provide both classroom and hands-on experiences, including presentations on law enforcement duties, criminal and procedural law, forensic science, and investigative techniques.
Describing it as “a small police department within a police department,” Barao said his experience with the program gave him the opportunity to get an up-close look at what being a police officer would entail before even stepping into a police academy.
“I remember going to weekly meetings, doing ride-alongs,” Barao said of his time as an explorer. “I got to see an inside look at the job.”
Glastonbury’s fledgling program, slated to begin this spring, is one of many in the state, including similar programs in Enfield, Manchester, and Vernon.
Aside from learning the duties of law enforcement, the explorers learn leadership skills and social responsibility, as well as develop personal growth and physical fitness. Participants will also have the chance to attend a week-long summer academy at Westfield State University in Massachusetts, an experience Barao said was his favorite aspect of the program.
“Being able to apply all that I learned, and competing against other posts, meeting people from all over,” he said.
Barao said that the police explorer program is not only beneficial to those who look toward a career in law enforcement, but for the community in general.
“It’s also community outreach on behalf of the explorers themselves providing services to the town,” he said. “They’re going to be at different events, providing traffic security at Apple Fest, and the high school graduation.”
Enfield Lt. Willie Pedemonti said his department’s program, which started around 1967, currently has 18 explorers who meet weekly.
“We try and give them as much training as we can in regard to law enforcement. It gives you a lot of insight and exposure,” Pedemonti said. “Our hope is to further a career in law enforcement.”
Past explorers have gone on to have careers in corrections and the military, Pedemonti said, while others just wanted to be part of something productive.
Like Barao and Maloney, Pedemonti was an explorer himself from 1982-84 and became an officer in 1988.
“I was always fascinated by law enforcement. I moved to Enfield at age 14, and I learned about the program in high school,” Pedemonti said. “I truly believe if not for the program, I would not be where I am today.”
NERLEEA Director Robert Smedley said he, too, was a police explorer with the New Britain Police Department, and then became an adviser for the explorer program.
“The program is one of the largest in the U.S.,” said Smedley, who also serves on the New Britain City Council. “There’s a significant number of cadets.”
He said New Britain’s program has been quite successful, as many explorers who passed through the program have become police officers. “I can name 10 off the top of my head.”
A “comfortable” amount of explorers per program is 30, Smedley said, but “no post is too small. If a kid wants to participate, we’re happy to have them join.”
In Glastonbury, Barao said around 10 people have signed up for the program, and he hopes to get as many people signed up as he can.
“We’re putting the final touches on the policies and procedures, but it looks like full steam ahead,” Barao said. “We have the backing of our chief and the town.”
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