A new youth program for those interested in a career in law enforcement has started in the city.

Local leaders gathered in the community room at Cranston Police Department headquarters last week to welcome the members of Cranston Police Explorer Post 402 ahead of their orientation meeting.

“We’re really excited,” Chief of Police Col. Michael Winquist told the 20 new Explorers. “I look forward to watching you grow in this program … You’ll be an integral part of what we do here at the police department.”

The Cranston post will include 11 boys and nine girls to start, with 17 Cranston residents, two members from Providence, and one from Cumberland. The participants are between 14 and 19 years of age.

The post will meet twice a month during the school year, and members will receive law enforcement training and education while taking part in community service. Topics to be covered include the history of law enforcement, traffic and crime scene investigations, marching, and physical fitness.

Classes and training will occur at the department’s Garfield Avenue headquarters, its training facility at 495 Phenix Ave., and other locations.

Lt. Mark Freeborn, Sgt. Greg Weller, Inspector Robert Santagata, Officer Dennis Trinh, and Capt. Vincent McAteer III – who leads the department’s Office of Community Outreach – will serve as the post’s advisors. Winquist said other officers will also assist with the group’s activities.

During the budget process for the current fiscal year, the City Council and Mayor Allan Fung supported an amendment submitted by Council Vice President Richard Santamaria to direct approximately $10,000 toward the creation of an Explorer program. There are currently posts in several other Rhode Island communities, including Johnston, Warwick, and Providence.

Winquist said the Explorers will find “a lot of pride and integrity” among the Cranston department’s personnel, and he told them participation in the program will yield dividends later on. He noted that Santagata is a graduate of Johnston’s Explorer post.

“It means something. It’s recognized in the law enforcement world,” he said. He added: “If you work real hard, you might be able to wear this badge, No. 1.”

Fung thanked the new Explorers for “bettering our community” through their participation. He also applauded those whose efforts made the program possible, including city officials and the Narragansett Council of the Boy Scouts of America, which had representatives on hand for last week’s gathering.

“It really is an honor that you are the first class,” he told the new Explorers.

The mayor said he also hopes the post will help provide an avenue for underrepresented segments of the community to become a greater presence in the city’s public safety departments and workforce as a whole.

“To see the diversity in this class gives me a lot of hope,” he said.

For more information on the Explorer program, contact McAteer at 401-477-5127 or vmcateer@cranstonpoliceri.com.

NEW BEGINNING:

City officials and Boy Scout representatives gather with police personnel and the members of Cranston Explorer Post 402 during last week’s kickoff event. (Herald photos)

SHOW OF HANDS:

Chief of Police Col. Michael Winquist, flanked by Maj. Todd Patalano, asks the new Explorers whether they hope to pursue a career in law enforcement.