Prescott cops teach Explorers the ropes of law enforcement
January 5, 2009
Jason Scissons has dreamed of becoming a cop since he was 6 years old, and the Explorer Scouts offered him an avenue to get there.
Shortly after he moved with his parents from Mesa to Prescott, Scissons found out about the program through the Prescott Police Department and registered when he turned 15.
Explorers are boys and girls ages 14 to 20 who show an interest in becoming a police officer, federal agent or detective. Their work gives them credit toward admission into officer training programs.
“My first ride-along (with an officer) is what really got me hooked,” Scissons said. “And I knew that this was what I was going to do with the rest of my life.”
Saturday at the Prescott Police Firing Range off Sundog Ranch Road, Scissons, now a 19-year-old Yavapai College student, and three other Explorers participated in specialized weapons training to prepare for a national tactical competition later this month.
On Jan. 16 and 17, Scissons’ four-member Explorer team from Post 778 will compete against other top-notch Explorer units in Chandler.
Among other things, the event will feature hostage negotiation and marksmanship events for which the unit qualified.
Over the past few weeks, the Prescott Explorers have been training and generating the $2,000 in donations necessary to attend the three-day tournament.
They will participate in five team shooting and hostage negotiation scenarios, and receive scores on accuracy, movement and efficiency. Winners earn prizes.
“I’m excited to see the different levels of competition we’ll be up against,” said Scissons, who will enter the police academy in 18 months. “I’m confident in our team.”
Prescott police Officer Matt Medina, an Explorer training advisor, said several of his Explorers have already completed in-house gun safety training. Afterwards, they head to a range for static shooting with a certified firearms instructor.
On Saturday, Prescott police K-9 Officer Tyler Ellsworth, a weapons instructor, put the Explorers through three hours of tactical firing maneuvers with .40-caliber Glock handguns and sniper shooting.
In tactical shooting, a team learns how to move together and shoot in unison on the range. This exercise teaches future officers how to assess threats and clear a building on an alarm call.
Scissons is the team leader who specializes in hostage negotiations. He took a class at the Prescott Police Department that taught him ways to deal with hostage takers in separate scenarios.
At the tournament, Explorer and Prescott High School graduate Jessica Smith, 19, will take part in the sniper contest, portray a hostage negotiator and conduct tactical building searches.
Smith said she got interested in Explorers because of her nine-year background in training service dogs.
“All the training we do is so hands-on and on-the-job – it’s what the officers are doing day in and day out,” Smith said. “This gets you doing it from the start.”
Added 18-year-old Explorer Casey Strong, “I’ve learned a lot about my abilities with teamwork. This shows you what you can do and ways you can improve.”
In addition, Medina said Prescott police’s Explorer unit plays an important role in the city because it assists with traffic control for parades and goes on ride-alongs with officers.
“It’s great to see the commitment they have to this program,” he said. “It also gives the advisors a chance to improve our skills as mentors and supervisors.”
