The Police Explorers is a club meant for students who enjoy and have a passion for law enforcement. Students who take law classes may become an Explorer, and with a few exceptions anyone can. 

“We wanted to find an additional option for students who were really passionate about law enforcement, and wanted to learn beyond the classroom,” club sponsor Tiffany Nickels said.

The Explorer program is a co-curricular program run in partnership with the Allen Police Department, administered by an APD school resource officer along with two other teachers, and it meets after school every Wednesday from 4:30-6 p.m. It’s more of a hands-on class rather than sitting and note taking. 

“Lessons are more hands off, also students can be seen outside doing traffic stops,” Tiffany Nickles said. 

The Police Explorers is a competitive after-school program as well. The SROs train the explorers to respond to 20 different kinds of scenarios. The police explorers also have to be familiar with the law, and know what kinds of services to request depending on the case. Some of the cases they practice are hostage situations, helping someone going through a mental health crisis, taking on domestic violence calls, and more.

 “A lot of students do the program not just to become a police officer, some go for law school, some take chemistry to do forensic work, others even study criminal justice,” Tiffany Nickles said. 

Wickham also adds that she wants to become an officer or an forensic scientist, and the explorer program helps immensely with that because “you’ll learn stuff an average person wouldn’t.’’

“Even if you don’t want to become a police officer, like if you want to go into the law enforcement field in general, then I think it’s a very beneficial program to be in,” third-year explorer Riley Wickham said.