She leaned against the wall in the North Chicago Police Station, effecting the de rigueur teenage attitude of boredom and indifference.
Across the room, North Chicago police officer Ervin Deleon was training members of North Chicago Police Department Explorer Post 2549 in self- defense. When he demonstrated how a small person can protect himself or herself against a much larger aggressor using the proper wrist grab, he grabbed her attention as well. Soon she was practicing a series of cool moves along with 10 other teenagers.
This is one of many things law enforcement Explorer Scouts learn at weekly meetings, usually from police officers like Deleon. Kids also are taught handcuffing techniques, how to search for a bomb, marksmanship, fingerprinting and other police procedures in a program designed to give young people career experience along with the Boy Scout principles of character, good citizenship and fitness.
Exploring is a co-ed program for 14- to 21-year-olds, and experience in Boy Scouting is not required. Corporate, industrial or governmental sponsors take on responsibility for posts, giving young people information and hands-on experience in such fields as firefighting, science, engineering or aeronautics. Law enforcement, however, accounts for the vast majority of Explorers, according to North Chicago Assistant Chief Gerald Pedrin, longtime post adviser. At the last national conference of Explorers, in 1996, about 5,000 of the 5,500 enrolled were members of law enforcement posts.
Fred Dowdell, 16, a junior at Zion-Benton Township High School, has wanted to be a policeman since he was 13. His Explorer training will help him get a job someday, he said.
Meredith “Missy” Clement, 16, a Waukegan High School junior, thinks Exploring is a “nifty” thing to do and not just a “guy thing.” A B-average student who is active in sports and expects to go to college, she said, “It gives you more appreciation of what police officers must deal with. Besides, it gets us off the street. The more active you are, the less trouble you get in.” She recently was elected captain of the post, which has 12 members.
Jose Nieves of Waukegan, past captain, was in Exploring for three years before he turned 21. He wants to pursue a career in law enforcement and is working as a dispatcher for the Waukegan Police Department. “I believe the program helped me get this job,” he said. “Exploring teaches you discipline and gives you motivation. Where I live and the people I hung with, it would have been easy to get into trouble. For me, Exploring was a way to stay out of trouble.”
The North Chicago Police Department post, established in 1985, is one of 12 law enforcement posts in Lake County. Only the Fox Lake Police Department and Lake County Sheriff’s Department posts have been in existence as long. In 1992 at a national conference, North Chicago took first place in competition for arrest and search procedures. It is the only Illinois post that has ever brought home a national trophy.
Pedrin has been involved with the post almost since its inception, volunteering to work with the young people on his own time. He was assisted by Corrine Luka, a civilian employee of the police department. Since being appointed assistant chief earlier this year, he has relinquished much of the hands-on work of supervising to Rev. Dennis Cress, police department chaplain, who is assisted by Officer Salvatore Cecala. All adult advisers are trained by the Boy Scouts of America.
Pedrin participates in activities whenever time permits. “I got into it initially because I thought it was a positive program, and I had a son (David) eligible to become a member,” Pedrin said. “It was a way to spend more time with him. I have stayed with it because I love kids. They keep me young and give me fresh ideas. Their energy is great, and it’s nice to channel it.
“(Members) have my home number and my pager number, and they can call me any time with problems,” he added. Through the years, many have. “Sometimes it is easier for them to talk to an adult who is not a parent. I give my opinion, but I am not judgmental,” Pedrin said. “I try to give them options and let them make a choice.”
Brian Kilpatrick, 25, of Waukegan, a part-time firefighter for the Gurnee and Highwood Fire Departments, was a member for four years. “Gerry is more than an adviser,” he said. “He is your best friend, a great guy.”
The North Chicago post has been so successful, Kilpatrick added, because of the adults like Pedrin who care deeply about the program and the kids and because of the hands-on training.
Besides learning police techniques, members of the post practice the time-honored Boy Scout tradition of service. They direct traffic at parades, eliminating the need for extra-duty police officers or overtime by regular officers. They recently helped paint rooms in the police station, have adopted a portion of a North Chicago street for litter removal and do the required city taxi inspections.
“I don’t know whether the community realizes how much these kids contribute, as far as the hours they put in and the money they save the city,” Cress said.
Mayor Jerry Johnson said, “I probably don’t know a lot of things they do because they get the job done without waving a banner. But I’ve seen them at parades and at our recent city carnival doing traffic control. That in itself is saving North Chicago a lot of money, and as far I’m concerned, they’re worth their weight in gold.”
New members are recruited annually by Cress, who speaks at area high schools and invites interested teens to attend a “first nighter” along with their parents. They pay an initial fee of $7; after that the post picks up their dues. Their police-like uniform, which is provided by the post, consists of French blue pants and dark blue shirt with an official Explorer patch.
They earn money for trips to national and state conferences by parking cars at events such as the Lake County Fair and holding car washes. Local businesses also contribute. “None of our kids has ever had to pay a cent for their trips,” Cress said. “We want it to be affordable for everyone, but we also expect them to show up and participate.”
Many join for the fun and excitement, Cress said. “It is not our goal to make police officers out of them. The Boy Scout goal is to make wholesome lives, and we are contributing to that.”
Tim Dosemagen, field director for the Northeast Illinois Council of BSA, said, “The real key to North Chicago’s success has been the dedicated leadership of post advisers and the comprehensiveness of their training. They are second to none in that.”
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To join, call Pedrin at 847-578-7786.
