Jordan Hamanishi, 15, and Josh Holmes, 19, spent their holiday vacation time investigating mock crime scenes, running in physical agility tests and in competition on the shooting range.
The two Shoreline residents are a part of the Shoreline Police Explorers Post and along with eight other Shoreline Explorers, spent a week at Fort Lewis at the Washington Law Enforcement Exploring Academy.
Over 100 Explorers from 21 policing agencies throughout the state of Washington competed in the academy.
Hamanishi came back with an award for best male on the agility test in the basic academy.
“It was hard. I had to run around cones and jump over hurtles, it was really slippery and muddy and hard to run, but I got best male for basic academy,” he said.
Hamanishi joined the Explorers to do community service and to determine if becoming a police officer would be a good profession for him, he said.
Holmes returned from the event with the highest firearm score in the advanced academy.
“I shot a score of 294 out of 300,” he said.
Holmes has been with the Shoreline Police Explorer post for the past two years and in that time, has determined he wants to become a police officer.
He is attending Shoreline Community College and plans to transfer to Central Washington University and get a degree in Criminal Justice. He recently received the 2002 Shoreline Explorer of the Year award.
“What I have learned from Explorers is to have integrity, and do what’s right, even when no one is watching,” Holmes said.
The Shoreline Police Explorers are a group of teens and young adults ages 14 to 21 who have an interest in law enforcement, said Officer Steve Marshall, the advisor of the group.
The police department provides classes twice a month for the explorers, in which they learn hands-on report writing, and learn about mock scenes like riots, domestic violence calls, and traffic stops. They go on state-wide and nation-wide competitions representing Shoreline.
Explorers also help by doing traffic control at Hamlin Halloween and Christmas cruises and during fairs and parades.
“This past year the Explorers donated 4,194 hours to the city,” Marshall said. “I see them build a lot of self-confidence through the training they get.”
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