Douglas County Sheriff's Office seeks next deputy

OMAHA, Nebraska (KMTV) — The Explorer program offers young adults the opportunity to explore different career paths. At DCSO, children gain hands-on experience while learning how to overcome the challenges of the workplace.

• Recent high school graduate Matthew Harris joined the program last year and plans to return this fall with hopes of one day becoming an officer.
• Law enforcement agencies across the country are struggling to recruit. Sheriff Hanson says the program is an effective recruiting tool for them.
• There are a variety of exploration programs that give children the chance to explore possible careers.

TRANSCRIPTION OF THE SHOW:

The Douglas County Sheriff's Office is looking for its next deputy through Explorer Post #592, where kids explore what it takes to protect and serve.

It is a program for young people aged 14 to 20, in which they practice tasks such as handcuffing, arresting people and developing the strength needed to stay alert on the job.

Recent high school graduate Matthew Harris joined the program last year and plans to return this fall with hopes of one day becoming an officer.

“I think it’s a very rewarding career and it has a lot of benefits. Being able to be there for your community is definitely an interest of mine and being able to help the people you live with,” Harris said.

But he knows the challenges facing law enforcement.

“The problem I've seen is comparable to the mental strain it can put on law enforcement officers and how it affects their daily lives, especially with the long work days,” he said.

Work-life balance is one reason agencies across the country are struggling to recruit, according to the International Association of Chiefs of Police. The other reason is public perception.

“We have a hard time finding quality, qualified candidates for our industry and so this is very important because we are looking to hire the best, but we are also looking to hire diversity,” said Douglas County Sheriff Aaron Hanson.

Sheriff Hanson says the Explorer program is a valuable recruiting tool for them.

The department has deputies who started out as explorers, like Tony Incontro.

“If they leave this program with the mindset of, ‘Yeah, this is what I want to do, this is really good,’ then we’ve succeeded as a program. If they leave this program and think, ‘Maybe this isn’t what I thought it would be,’ then we’ve also succeeded as a program because we’ve prevented that young adult from going down a path that maybe they didn’t want to go down,” Incontro said.

There are a variety of exploration programs that give children the chance to explore possible careers.

The Sheriff's Department takes the summer off. Explorer Post #592 operates from September through May with meetings on Thursday evenings.