OWATONNA POLICE DEPARTMENT EXPLORER POST #204 ______________________________________________________ The Owatonna Police Department Explorer Post #204 was founded in 1998. In 2005, the program had eight active Explorer members; Sergeant Rethemeier, Sergeant von Wald, Officer Fandel, Officer Sorenson, Officer Fogel, and Community Service Officer (CSO) Hunt served as advisors and mentors. The Explorer program is a young adult career education program for young men and women who are 14 and graduates of eighth grade or are 15 through 20 years of age. Law Enforcement Exploring is a youth development program centered around law enforcement careers and is a cooperative effort between the Owatonna Police Department and the Boys Scouts of America. The purpose of this program is to provide experiences to help young people mature, and to prepare them to become responsible and caring adults. Explorers are ready to investigate the meaning of interdependence in their personal relationships and communities. The end result of a program of this nature is that the various program activities help youth pursue their special interests, grow and develop. Explorer programs are based on five areas of emphasis: career opportunities, life skills, service learning, character education, and leadership experience. The programs are based on the Learning for Life Mission Statement: “The mission for Learning for Life is to serve others by helping instill core values in young people and in other ways prepare them to make ethical choices throughout their lives so they can achieve their full potential.” Members of the Owatonna Police Department Explorer Post #204 participate in training meetings, which expose them to a wide variety of situations that law enforcement officers experience, and in community events where their assistance is valuable to the police department, all while giving them insight into the many varied duties of the department. Several previous Explorer members are now sworn officers, and several more are currently majoring in college law enforcement programs.
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