Copperas Cove Law Enforcement Explorers graduate four cadets

By BRITTANY FHOLER 
Cove Leader-Press 

The Copperas Cove Police Department’s Law Enforcement Explorers Program graduated four new cadets in a ceremony set at the police department last Friday evening. 
Tyler Murphy, Madison Ford, Paulina Palafox and Deserae Davis joined their fellow Explorers following a vigorous three-week program where they learned about all aspects of policing, from traffic stops and traffic control to DWI procedures to criminal investigations to narcotics enforcement. They learned about the general policies as well as the Penal Code and kept fit by doing physical fitness PT every morning for an hour, according to Public Information Officer Sgt. Kevin Miller. 
Each cadet took a 100-question written test and performed a series of practical tests to prove their ability to do tasks such as a traffic stop. 
The Explorers Program was previously ran in the 1990s before it dissolved and was started up again in 2011, Miller said. 
With the recent class of four, the program currently has 18 Explorers, with a capacity for 25. Previous classes have had between eight to 12 graduates at a time. Miller said the program only holds one course per year, during the summer, with the graduation ceremony always in July. 
The CCPD officers who assisted with the program included Officer Nunez, Corporal Ortega, Corporal Miletello and Officer Bartlett, with Nunez being the main person, according to Miller. 
Last year, the Explorers performed over 3,000 hours of volunteer service, assisting CCPD at events such as Rabbit Fest and more. 
“I think it’s very important to the success of the police department,” Miller said of the program. “It’s a two-fold because…it helps us establish relationships with teenagers in the community that are law-enforcement minded and civic minded…so not only is it a great service to the police department, it’s a great service to the community as a whole of the volunteer hours that these explorers put in. It’s just another avenue for us to reach another segment of our community and establish relationships.”