Explorer Post 409

Explorer Post 409 is a law enforcement exploring program that is part of Learning for Life and the Boy Scouts of America.
Overview
Explorer Post 409 was created in 1984 and chartered by the Boy Scouts of America and is part of the Hernando County Sheriff's Office. Located in Brooksville, Florida, the Explorer Post is a youth program targeted toward teenagers who are deciding to enter the law enforcement field. The intent of the program is to educate and involve youthes in law enforcement practices and functions to attain knowledge of said practices for both a career in law enforcement and for the yearly Florida Sheriff's Explorer Association States Conference.
Functions
Explorer Post 409 uses a variety of hands-on techniques that deal with any aspect of law enforcement. A few training lessons include Unknown Risk Traffic stop, Active shooter, Building Searches, and Crime scene. Training is part of every Post 409 meeting and the material learned is especially used for the State Conference where members from different posts compete in events from the training learned throughout the year.
Membership
To become a Post 409 Explorer, the applicant must pass all of the requirements in order to become an Explorer. The applicant must be 14 and have completed the 8th grade and can continue being an explorer until they are 21; they must attend three consecutive meetings to be able to attend his or her oral interview where ranking officers decide whether or not the applicant can become an Explorer; and the applicant must maintain a "C" average in school in order to continue being an Explorer. A backgrond check may be run on an applicant.
Meetings
Explorer Post 409 usually meets every other Tuesday at the local sheriff's office for three house from 1700hrs until 2000hrs. A meeting usually consists of opening the meeting, saying the Pledge of Allegience, Attendance, Uniform Inspection, New and Old Business, Training, Debreifing, and a Closing of the meeting. At least two breaks are given throughout the three hours and sometimes food is served.
Meetings are held throughout the entire year; although, with some exceptions like holidays including Christmas and Thanksgiving. Special meetings are also sometimes replaced by regular meetings. An informal meeting for training, a special detail on a meeting night, or a party are a few examples.
Uniforms are giving to all members of Post 409 and are expected to keep their appearances neat per the Explorer handbook. Uniform inspections are part of a meeting to ensure that members are meeting the uniform standards.
Details
Details are community events that Post 409 help out with. Most of Post 409's budget comes from events such as the yearly Hernando County Fair and Rodeo. Post 409 also hosts, along with the Hernando County Sheriff's Office Youth Education Services, a yearly golf tournament to help raise money. Post 409's budget helps to buy new training equipment such as handcuffs and radios, and also new equipment for details such as bicycles, reflective vests, and lighted wands. The equipment helps Explorers to park cars.
Post 409 does not do valet parking, but helps to create parking lots in grassy areas, runways, and concrete areas that do not have lines to let people park themselves. Explorers also help guide handicapped parkers to closer locations near the entrance, collect money, and make sure that parking is a success.
Rankings
Post 409 presently has two squads which divide the group into teams. Alpha and Bravo squads each have their own Sergeant and Corporal as well as the different Explorers. The Post has a Special Order Sergeant, a Lieutenant, and a Captain.
As the Post will continue to grow, the Advisors will take under consideration the idea of adding more squads as they are deemed necessary.
Advisors
The Post has five active Advisors who help out during meetings with teaching Explorers and during details to ensure their safety. The Advisors are from different backgrounds of Law Enforcement and each can provide different training expertise which help Explorers to build their own training.
Advisors are the key to making Explorer Post 409 a success.
FSEA State Conferences
FSEA Conference 2004
Post 409 participated in the 2004 State Conference during the week of June 27, 2004 in Fort Myers, Florida. During the weeklong conference, hosted by Lee County's Post 18, Explorer Post 409 participated in a wide variety of events like the training sessions that included a S.W.A.T. demonstration and Crime Scene presentation, and competitive events such as crime scene and traffic stop. Explorers also had a movie night, a night at a local fun park, and a dance at the hotel.
In addition to training and competitive events, participants completed a community service project while in Fort Myers, which consisted of a beach clean up at Fort Myers Beach. Explorers and Advisor assisted by picking up trash along a mile long section of beach.
Members attending the conference were Explorers Frank Staffa, Joel Natale, Jessica Stinnett, Ryan Guy, Allie Gibiser, Nikki Thomas, Amanda Thursby, Troy Whitten, Laura Heslin and Amanda Hann.
FSEA Conference 2005
Explorer Post 409 participated in the 2005 State Conference which was hosted in Jacksonville, Florida during the week of June 26, 2005. The Explorers were involved with activities such as training, which included a K-9 demonstration and a S.W.A.T. presentation.
Members attending the conference were Explorers Frank Staffa, Ryan Guy, Allie Gibiser, Amanda Hann, Troy Whitten, Vinnie Marmoin, Cory Zarcone, Aaron Dougherty, Akram Husain, and Joey Workman.
FSEA Conference 2006
During the week of July 25, 2006, Explorer Post 409 participated in the FSEA Conference in Tallahassee, Florida. Training throughout the year, which included building searches, crime scene, and critical response helped the Post to win first place in the critical response competition.
The 2006 Conference Shooting Competition, with the use of .38 Cal. Revolvers, was the first time in seven years in which Post 409 competed in a state level shooting competition.
Representing Hernando County were Explorer Captain Ryan Guy, Explorer Lieutenant Allison Gibiser, Explorer Sergeants Amanda Hann, Vinnie Marmion, Cory Zarcone and Akram Husain, Explorer Corporals Josh Kennedy and Justin Bleich and Explorer Brianna Carroll.
FSEA Conference 2007
Explorer Post 409 participated in the 2007 FSEA Conference during the weeks of June 24, 2007 which was sponsored by the Lake County Sheriff's Explorers in Howie in the Hills, Florida. Post 409 placed in four of the five competitive events. They placed 3rd in Domestic Crisis; 3rd in Building Searches, 2nd in Bomb Threat Response; and 1st in Crime Scene. The 2007 States has been one of the better years the Post has had.
Explorer Post #409 was represented by the following members: Explorer Captain Ryan Guy, Explorer Lieutenants Allison Gibiser and Cory Zarcone, Explorer Sergeants Vinnie Marmion and Josh Kennedy, Explorer Corporal Justin Bleich and Explorers Mike Benyon and Nestor Feliciano.
FSEA Conference 2008
Post 409 competed in the FSEA conference and won 1st place in Crime Scene for a second year in a row, 4th place in Crisis Intervention, 1st place in Bicycle Riding, and a 2nd place Tyro plaque in the 9mm shooting competition.
FSEA Conference 2009
Explorers from Post 409 will be attending the FSEA 2009 conference, which will be held in Orlando, FL.
Post Multimedia Specialist
As of May 5, 2009, Sergeant Warren Buchholz of Alpha Squad has officially become the multimedia specialist for Post 409, and will be under control of all multimedia tasks.
Trading Cards
Post 409 will be issuing trading cards featuring the images of current Explorers who are in the post. The cards, which will be printed out sometime in 2009, will also feature statistics of each Explorer including volunteer hours and date of initiation.
Calendar
Each year, Post 409 also prints a calendar to help raise money for the squads. The 2008 calendar features a more detective-noir theme featuring the Explorers who were in the Post at the present time and was created by Explorer Warren Buchholz.
Documentary/Commercial
A documentary and commercial is presently in the pre-production stages, and will be finished sometime during 2009.

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