The Summers County Sheriff’s Department held their first Explorers Program meeting on May 27 at Bellepoint Park. This meeting served as an introduction to the program as well as the officers that serve the community. County officers were not the only ones involved, Troopers from the Summers County detachment of the State Police as well as city of Hinton officers attended the event. According to Sheriff Faris, the goal of this was to let the children of the community meet as many officers as possible so that if they ever need help, they will not be afraid to approach an officer.
During the event, the department provided those in attendance with juice and cookies as well as books, frisbees and other fun items. The Sheriff spoke to the children in attendance about what police officers do and what the Explorers Program is. Afterward, officers allowed the children to look in their cruisers. Some of the children posed for photos with officers.
The items given out such as the books and frisbees along with bags and hand towels were provided by REACHH who has partnered with the Sheriff’s Department for this program.
Each meeting of the newly established Explorers Program will take place on the last Thursday of the month. The Sheriff’s Department will provide snacks and drinks at each meeting, which will last approximately an hour. Any elementary school-aged children are welcome to participate in this new program. The next meeting will be held at Bluestone State Park on June 24 at 5 p.m. and will be on the topic of cyber safety.
The department released a statement after the meeting stating, “Our first day of the explorers program was a huge success … The kids in attendance had a blast and left with some neat gear.” They went on to thank all of the other participating agencies for coming and helping out.
For more information on the Explorers Program, call the Sheriff’s department at 304-466-7115. They also post updates to their Facebook page, “Summers County Sheriffs Department.”
