Cottonwood Explorers

The Cottonwood Police Explorer’s Program is open to girls and boys from the ages of 14-20, and is affiliated with the Boy Scouts of America. The Explorer’s are exposed to all aspects of police work to interest them in a career in Law Enforcement.

All Explorers are eligible to attend the Explorer Academy based at Yavapai College in Prescott. The academy is based on principles of the law enforcement academy that all officers attend for 17 weeks, to receive Arizona State certification. The Explorer academy is six days, with room and board provided. The Explorers receive training in police ethics, report writing, criminal and traffic laws, crime scene investigation, defense tactics, firearms instruction in the classroom and on the range, field interviews, traffic stops, DUI/drug enforcement, accident investigation. As an officer, the most dangerous and highest number of calls responded to, are domestic violence. The Explorers are given classroom instruction and are also involved in training scenarios. Our days at the academy begin at 0530 hours, with physical training (running, situp’s and pushup’s), while several evenings last until 2300 while doing scenarios and traffic stops.

Cottonwood has 10 Explorer positions, with three of them currently filled.