Rockville Centre looking to expand Police Explorers

At a Board of Trustees meeting on March 3, Tom Boylan became the first member of Rockville Centre’s Police Explorer’s program to be promoted to Sergeant.

The Police Explorers is an offshoot of the Boy Scouts of America that gives children ages 14 to 20 the chance to experience what it’s like to be a police officer and see the inner-workings of a police department.

“People only call the police when there is a crisis: they are victims of a crime, involved in an auto accident or when someone needs assistance,” said Charles Gennario, commissioner of the Rockville Centre Police Department. “We do not get calls when people are having a good day. The Explorer Program gives people an opportunity to see the human side of police officers and have an opportunity to see what the world of policing really is.”

There are about a dozen Police Explorers with the RVCPD. Open to both boys and girls, the program not only teaches police skills, but also helps students give back to their community.

“One of the things that we really try to put out there is that it helps you with community service,” said Sgt. Jim Giovanniello, who helps run the program at the department. “If you’re a kid who’s in high school and looking to go to college, they’re always looking for community service hours. So this encompasses a lot of time.”

Much of the community service, Giovanniello said, is in helping to spread awareness. “Crime prevention awareness, lost and missing kids awareness, autism awareness — things like that,” he said. “They get out there and give people information. But it’s all community service.”

The Explorers put the skills they learn to use at competitions. This year, the group from Rockville Centre is heading to Indianapolis to compete. The trip is being fully funded by the Explorer program.

“At the competitions, we have different types of things that we’re graded on,” Giovanniello explained. “They’ll have situation, lets say a domestic incident. There are different elements of investigating a domestic incident that have to be covered by these kids. And what they do, when they go in the competition, they’re rated and scored.”

The Rockville Centre Post is an offshoot of the larger Nassau County Police Department Post. Started two years ago, the program is still in its infancy locally. “We’re trying to get more kids to join so we can be a bigger part of the community,” Giovanniello said.

Those who are interested in joining the Police Explorers can visit the RVCPD station or email Giovanniello.