By Sherrie Norris
A special event is planned for Thursday, June 20 at Watauga County Sheriff’s Office in Boone in an effort to kick off the newly formed High Country Law Enforcement Explorers Post #123.
On behalf of all local law enforcement agencies, as well as partners on the state level, Watauga County Sheriff’s Office is hosting the event as a way to attract young people who have an interest in law enforcement careers.
According to WCSO spokesperson, Lt. Toby Ragan, who is coordinating the program, young men and women, ages 14-20, are invited to attend the open house and meet with agency representatives who will explain the Explorer’s program and all it has to offer.
It is the goal of the program, Ragan confirmed, for current officers to mentor young individuals through Explorers on all aspects of law enforcement and create future leaders of the profession.
“We have been working on getting the post established for quite some time now and are looking forward to getting some of our young men and women signed up and ready to participate,” said Ragan. “We will soon have some form of social media, most likely a website and/or Facebook page, that will be easily accessible and eventually allow the community to keep up with the progress and success of the post.”
Ragan hopes to have a site up and running soon after the open house and recruitment event.
The first official training session with the Explorers well be held in August after the new school year resumes.
“We realize that summer is a busy time for most families with vacations, etc., so we decided to begin as soon as school states back.”
However, Ragan said, interested individuals do not have to be high school students, as the opportunity is open to all young men and women in the aforementioned age range.
“Although we are the host agency, we are working together with all of our sister agencies to mentor the Explorers as a team, and show them all aspects of our profession,” he said.
The Watauga County Sheriff’s Office is located at 184 Hodges Gap Road in Boone. Ragan and his fellow offers welcome those youngsters who are interested in pursuing a law enforcement career to join them for this informative event on Thursday.
For more information, email Ragan at toby.ragan@watgov.org or call (828) 264-3761 ext. 2.
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