WILMINGTON — The Wilmington Police Department is now accepting applications for young men and women who are enrolled in high school that have an interest in becoming a police officer. The police explorer program is for those enrolled in ninth through 12th grade. It is open to only 15 students and will afford them the opportunity to ride with Wilmington Police and learn first-hand about policing.

There is no cost thanks to generous contributions from the community. Students who are interested need to write a short essay stating why they would like to be in our explorer program. They also need to include their name, age, parent’s name, and address along with a phone number. Please submit the essay to the police records clerk by Dec. 31. For more information, please call the records department at 937-382-6528.

The program will start in February and run through December. Those that are accepted will be contacted in January.

The Law Enforcement Exploring Program was started in 1959 with the Boy Scouts of America. The program is further enhanced by having six educational sessions a year where we focus on classroom related activities to better prepare the police explorers for law enforcement.