By Sarah Morton Taggart | [email protected]

The 14 youth in Sandy City Police Department’s Explorer Program were given a special recognition at the Oct. 25 Sandy City Council meeting. Mayor Monica Zoltanski thanked them for their volunteer work on behalf of the city. The mayor and council gave each participant a gift, including flags that were flown at the Sandy City Healing Field. 

The Explorers participate in an intensive law enforcement career orientation program. According to the program’s website, the intent is to educate the youth and build a mutual understanding between them and law enforcement officers. One intended result is to recruit new police officers, or at least inform the participants about potential career opportunities in law enforcement.

The Explorer Program is open to teens and young adults between the ages of 14 and 21. Another requirement is for students to maintain at least a 2.0 grade point average while in high school.

The program consists of classroom learning and hands-on training, with duties that include traffic and crowd control at special events. Explorers volunteered at 36 shows at the Sandy Amphitheater this summer. Collectively, the Explorers worked over 3,700 volunteer hours, saving the city around $55,000 in staffing costs.