Are you considering a career in law enforcement? If so, join the Overland Park Police Department Explorers. It's a fun way to prepare for your future while making new friends with similar interests.

Explorers attend monthly training meetings*, assist police officers at community events and ride along with police officers on patrol.

They also learn important skills, such as team building, public speaking and interviewing techniques, and how to organize their time to accomplish both school and extracurricular activities.

To become an Explorer, you must:

• Be 14-20 years old;
• Have completed at least eighth-grade; and
• Attend school and be in good standing there and in your community.

* Monthly training meetings are held the first and third Thursday of each month at 7 p.m. at the W. Jack Sanders Justice Center, 12400 Foster.

The Overland Park Police Department has had an active law enforcement Explorer post for the past several years. They are continually recruiting new students.

For more information on the program, contact an Explorer advisor. Sgt. Larry Cohen can be reached at 913/895-6417, or call 913/327-5677 and enter one of the following extensions:

• Ext. 2662 - Officer Diane Gaffney
• Ext. 2772 - Officer Roger Griffith
• Ext. 2865 - Officer Brian Pack
• Ext. 2846 - Officer Hope Reeder
• Ext. 2901 - Officer Sam Provost

Additional information also can be found on Learning for Life, the parent organization for the Explorers program.