Councilman Larry Roth
At the July 24th Special Presentations, Councilman Larry Roth recognized the Homestead Police Explorers who, in June, had competed against teams from 22 other Florida municipalities at the annual competition held in Palm Beach Gardens and took home two impressive awards.
The Homestead Police Explorers is a law-enforcement-based community service program that falls under the City of Homestead Police Department. Its purpose is to bring together law enforcement officers and youth with an interest in law enforcement as a possible career. The program instills discipline, responsibility and leadership qualities in its participants.
Opening his presentation, Councilman Roth said, “Each year, our Explorers go off and compete, and each year, they make us proud.” There are currently 50 youth participating in Homestead’s program. Last year, Homestead’s Police Explorers placed first overall in the competition.
Explorer Chief Maximo Valdes
The Homestead Police Explorers, along with their advisors, Officer Shanell Wadley, Officer Robbie Tate, and Advisor Alisha Wiggins, attended the annual competition to showcase their law enforcement skills in various scenarios, including Crime Scene Investigation, Traffic Stop, Domestic Crisis, Crisis Intervention and others.
Explaining the success of the Homestead Police Explorers, Councilman Roth said “A lot of it is due to Officer Wadley and her commitment to the kids – teaching them and showing them that through hard work and tremendous effort, you can accomplish anything.”
As Officer Wadley smiled, Councilman Roth said that he’d heard many heartwarming stories from this class of Explorers – too numerous to share. He recounted one, saying, “The kids actually reached out to Officer Wadley and said ‘I need you to discipline me. I need you to help me become a better person.’ For that, and all these kids up here, I want to applaud you, because they recognize that you are a true leader in the City of Homestead and in the Police Department. Our Command Staff, our Chief, our Colonel – you all deserve credit for how you serve these children.”
Explorer Chief Maximo Valdes, who has been in the program three years, said, “I want to thank the City Council, City staff and everyone for having us here. I think it’s important to understand the vital role that this program plays in our community and how much of an impact we have.”
Echoing Councilman Roth’s comments, he continued, “I want to give thanks to our wonderful Explorer advisor Officer Wadley. Without her, none of this would be possible. Officer Wadley has taught us that it takes a village and also recognizing the importance of this village.”
