Explorer Program

The Mantua Township Police Department sponsors a Police Explorer Program designed to provide young men and women valuable insight into the Law Enforcement profession. We are always looking for new members. Applicants should be trustworthy and of good moral character, between the ages of 14 through 20. These meetings are held on alternate Thursday nights at 7:00 PM in the Mantua Township Police Administration Building Courtroom.

Our Explorer Program has been in existence since 1991. It includes a two hour instruction period with active participation two Thursdays a month, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Instruction is in Police procedures, law, traffic control, and related police subjects. We also invite guest speakers several times a year to explain all of the various different possibilities a law enforcement career can take, including the FBI, Fish & Game, State Police, etc. Tours of various law enforcement-related agencies are also conducted.

Eventually, members are permitted to perform limited Police-related duties at special events. The Explorers have been used in many Gloucester County towns to assist with traffic control at parades, etc. Two former township Police cars were set aside for use by the Explorers as well.

A ride-along program in patrol cars with Police Officers is available after the member’s first full year of instruction with a minimum of 75 percent or better attendance. An Explorer must also be at least 16 years old to qualify for the ride-along program.

Overall, our program is designed to give you a firsthand inside view of Police work, and to assist you in deciding if law enforcement is for you. It will also help prepare you for a future in law enforcement through learning, observing, self reliance and actual participation. Several of our Explorers have been able to advance into their law enforcement careers as a result of the program.