Cobb County Government

Cobb Explorers Contact:
Officer Rusty Creamer
770 528-8871
Russell.Creamer@
cobbcounty.org

Cobb Explorers Contact:
Officer Rusty Creamer
770 528-8871
Russell.Creamer@
cobbcounty.org

G.B. Hatfield
Chief of Police

140 North Marietta Pkwy
Marietta, GA 30060
Emergency: 911
Non-Emergency:
(770) 499-3900

Cobb County Police Explorers Program

Application Process

Training

Unit Awards

Photo Gallery

MISSION STATEMENT

The goals of the Cobb County Police Exploring program is to educate youth in police operations, to interest them in a possible career in law enforcement, and to build confidence and valuable leadership skills for the future.

MISSION OBJECTIVES
Through education and training, we will provide our explorers with inside knowledge of law enforcement and its functions in the community. The Explorer program seeks to establish an awareness of the complexities of police service and give the young adults an opportunity to witness and experience the kind of commitment and passion is needed to be a police officer. The Law Enforcement Explorer program will provide the Explorer with a basic knowledge of the field of law enforcement. Explorers will receive instruction in many aspects relating to law enforcement including criminal law, traffic law, criminal investigation, crime prevention, traffic control and direction, accident investigation, juvenile delinquency, and other related fields.

MESSAGE FROM THE POST ADVISOR

Welcome to the Cobb County Police Explorer website! I hope that you will find the information contained on this site to be informative and educational. The Cobb County Police Explorers were established in May 2004, to help the young people in our community pursue their interest in law enforcement. We strongly believe that providing a law enforcement exploring program for the youth of Cobb County gives them the chance to develop life skills, leadership experience, and to learn the importance of community service.

Our explorer post welcomes young adults between the ages of 14 and 21 years old who are interested in law enforcement and may want to pursue a career as a police officer. This program focuses mainly on law enforcement, giving special emphasis on the development of responsibility, discipline, and the importance of integrity. In addition, explorers are provided training in many aspects of law enforcement, including criminal law, domestic violence, crime-in-progress, traffic stops, defensive tactics, DUI enforcement, and many others. Our Explorers participate in several competitions throughout the year where they will compete with other metro-area exploring posts in a variety of police related scenarios.

As a Cobb County Explorer you are required to attend weekly training meetings and scheduled community events. Our Explorers are often called upon to contribute time to help assist during community relations events. Through this experience, explorers develop and practice leadership skills similar to police personnel. Explorers that are accepted into the program must understand the commitment that is required as well as the expectation of a higher standard of conduct than their peers. Any deviation from this standard will result in dismissal from the program.

The Cobb County Police Explorer Post will always seek excellence. All of the advisors are P.O.S.T. Certified police officers with years of experience serving Cobb County. As representatives of the Cobb County Police Department we expect the best from our explorers and will not settle for any less. The advisors are very proud to serve in the Cobb County Police Department. We expect the Cobb County Explorers to understand that as they wear the uniform of Cobb County there is an expectation for a high level of professionalism, discipline, and respect for the advisors, fellow explorers and everyone they come into contact with.

We take the role of being mentors to future law enforcement officers seriously, but we will also have a lot of fun. Special events, such as cookouts, rappelling trips, laser tag, and team building outings are just some of the outside events we offer our explorers. We train hard and we play hard. We look forward to working closely with each of the explorers.

To see our other officers' biographies, click here.

POST GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
The Law Enforcement Exploring program has three main themes:

To further the explorer’s education relating to law enforcement skills and operations;
To encourage the explorer’s participation in a rewarding and productive service of activities;
To prepare the explorers for life challenges, for roles as citizens, community leaders, and future law enforcement careers.

COMMUNITY RELATIONS EFFORT
The Law Enforcement Explorer program brings the Explorer into direct contact with police officers through meetings, details, social functions, and ride-along program. Explorers can make their public service tangible among members of the community, especially members in their age bracket. This provides a link between the police and the youth and between the youth and the community.

SERVICE GROUP WITHIN THE COMMUNITY
Frequently community organizations call upon Explorers to assist with security, crowd control, traffic direction, youth education, and crime prevention programs. Community service is strongly encouraged. Explorers are not used in situations that put them in jeopardy or that require police authority. But, they are used to assist the community under the close direction and supervision of police officers.

SUPPLEMENTAL MANPOWER
Explorers are not sworn officers and can not replace law enforcement personnel; however, they can be used to supplement them. Explorers can free up officers to concentrate on the most important aspects of their jobs. Qualified members of the Cobb County Explorer Post can participate in the Ride-Along Program, a privilege that allows for real-world experience of law enforcement on the street.

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
Through their experience, explorers learn and practice leadership skills similar to police personnel, including a rank structure. Explorers in leadership positions learn the realities of being responsible for all of their subordinate’s achievements and short falls. Cobb County’s post requires that the explorer supervisors must hold themselves to the highest standards and establish a strong leadership base through leadership skills including: Motivating peers, delegating assignments, and taking disciplinary action

APPRECIATION FOR COMMUNITY AND CITIZENSHIP
Explorers contribute many hours of their personal lives during their participation in the explorer program. When they leave, they can reflect back and take pride in the fact that they have made a significant contribution to the welfare of their community.