The newly formed Law Enforcement Explorers Unit met recently in the lecture room. Students may join to learn leadership skills, participate in hands-on projects and develop new personal skills.

“It’ll let them [students] explore all the different jobs in criminal justice,” criminal justice instructor Jon Johnson said. “They’ll get to see everything, and plus they’re part of a group that will meet a lot of friends from other high schools.”

The Smith County Sheriff’s Office offered to implement and fund the explorer’s unit for the school. Johnson is sponsoring the program for students at the high school.

“I think it gives them [students] an idea of what law is about and what opportunities there are in law,” sophomore Nicholas Anderson said. “It was a very informative group of people, and they taught me a lot about what they do.”

The  unit offers opportunities for community service and real world experience in problem-solving. Its aim is to aid students with interest in law enforcement careers.

“I hope to be a firefighter like my dad, and I feel like they’ll teach me a lot more than I knew before,” sophomore Aaron Gambrell said. “It’ll just help me apply that in my job later in life.”

Members of the unit can practice and compete in state and national competitions against other teams. In these, students may participate in mock crime scene searches to compete for championships.

“It’s a really cool opportunity for anyone interested in law enforcement,” Johnson said. “It’s something the school hasn’t had before, but I’m really excited the Smith County Sheriff’s Office is bringing it here.”