The Explorer Academy is the highlight event of the year on the WCSO Explorer calendar. Because many of our Explorers have ambitions to pursue a career in law enforcement, attending the academy is a career building event. It puts Explorers through a boot camp experience, focused on law enforcement, giving them a chance to use many of the skills they have learned during the past year.
The Explorer Academy is an annual week long, live-in training experience for Explorers at the Riverside County Sheriff Department’s Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center. During the academy, Washington County Explorers train and compete with Explorer posts from across California.
Formal Inspection at Graduation
Dan Silva receiving his “Top Gun” award.
Preparing Explorers for the Academy is an intense training process. They train in physical fitness, felony traffic stops and active shooter scenarios. Explorers spend hours training in firearms, and march and drill movements. A total of 9 Explorers, 3 females and 6 males, represented Washington County.
During the graduation ceremony, Explorer Advisor Oscar Garcia was recognized for receiving the very prestigious award “Explorer Advisor of the Year”, presented this year by the National Sheriff’s Association, at their conference in Charlotte, North Carolina. Oscar was also recognized at the Utah Sheriff’s Association Conference. The Washington County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank Oscar for his dedication to the Explorer program.