Mammoth Lakes Police & Mono County Sheriff Explorer Post 7880

 

One way the Mammoth Lakes Police Department connects with the community and other law enforcement agencies is through its Explorer Program, Post #7880. The Explorers participate in a volunteer capacity at special events in the Town of Mammoth Lakes. Because our Explorer Post is a multi-agency post, we can utilize our Explorers not only in the Town of Mammoth Lakes but also the greater Mono County area. Our Explorers attend annual Explorer Academies and can attend annual Explorer Competitions. These academies and competitions take place throughout the Southern California area or out of state, specifically in Orange County and Chandler, Arizona.
 
Our Explorer Post is an active member of OCLEEAA (Orange County Law Enforcement Explorer Advisors’ Association). OCLEEAA is a non-profit, membership-based organization that is comprised of Explorer Post Advisors from Orange County and surrounding counties throughout California. OCLEEAA was established in 1974. The purpose of OCLEEAA is to create a communications network between all Law Enforcement Explorer Posts in the area, to keep posts informed of regional and national events involving law enforcement exploring, and to assist posts in any manner possible to further law enforcement exploring and benefit the youth of California.
 
The Explorer Program is in dire need of a transport van. This enhancement would increase travel efficiency and participation to and from town events, as well as outside town events and programs. In addition to travel efficiency, a more modern representation of the Town of Mammoth Lakes and the Police Department would demonstrate the organization’s commitment to its reputation in the community and the safety of the Explorers and the Advisors who utilize this vehicle.

 

Teenagers in our community are often faced with many important decisions concerning their future; what career they will choose and how they will interact with society are questions that are constantly asked of them. They can turn in many different directions. Peer pressure and other influences may cause them to not always make the right decisions. The purpose of the Explorer Program is to provide the young men and women of our community an opportunity to explore their interests and aptitudes in the field of law enforcement through on-the-job exposure. The Explorer Program offers young adults a personal awareness of the criminal justice system through training, practical experiences, competition, and other activities. Additionally, it promotes personal growth through character development, respect for the rule of law, physical fitness, good citizenship, and patriotism.

 

One group stands above the others by offering pride and self-esteem for community minded young men and women: The Mono County Sheriff's and Mammoth Lakes Police Explorer Post #7880. We are a non-profit organization that not only sets a teen on the right path of becoming a concerned law-abiding citizen, but also provides the chance to explore a possible career in law enforcement.

 

Our organization is the first law enforcement Explorer program in the Eastern Sierra and is a one-of-a-kind joint Explorer Post combining two local agencies: The Mono County Sheriff's Department and the Mammoth Lakes Police Department. Today there are over 40,000 law enforcement Explorers in nearly 2,000 posts throughout the nation.

 

When traveling to out of town Explorer meetings, special events, academies or competitions, the department utilizes multiple vehicles, usually between 2 to 4. This is an added cost of both fuel and vehicle maintenance. It also takes 2 to 4 vehicles out of town that can be utilized for other purposes. Our post has yet to attend a competition mainly because we can not effectively transport our Explorers to the event. We have already attended and participated in four OCLEEAA Academies and we have already made arrangements for the 2022 Chandler Arizona Explorer Competition.

 

Most Explorers are between 14 to 16 years of age and do not posses a California Driver’s License allowing them to drive a vehicle. Because of this, Explorers rely on parents to take them to events, programs, and meetings. Having a van will alleviate the financial burden of parents having to take their child to and from events or programs.

 

Purchasing a 14-passenger van, which is decaled and emergency equipped, would allow our Explorers and Advisors to utilize less vehicles. The public awareness of the vehicle would greatly enhance and increase the recognition of the department’s involvement in the community and the Explorer Program. The Advisors would have the ability to transport a large number of Explorer passengers, thus increasing participation in the various events throughout the community and enabling better coordination of event coverage.

 

The Explorer Program is funded solely on community donations and fundraising efforts. Our Explorer Program is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. Funds donated to our program are used for uniforms expenses, academy fees, and explorer competition fees.

 

One challenge our Explorer Post faces is being in a small rural community. Our funding sources are small, and we do not have many businesses and/or community foundations that have funding to donate.

- 2020 OCLEEAA WINTER ACADEMY -