Program offers students opportunity to explore law enforcement

People might soon be noticing youthful new faces in uniform alongside the Flathead County Sheriff’s officers at area events.

A dedicated group of nine local high school students were sworn in by Sheriff Brian Heino last week as the first members of the new Flathead County Sheriff’s Office Explorer Program as they look to gain first-hand knowledge of the field of law enforcement.

“It’s exciting when you see youth like this being dedicated to advancing their education,” Heino said. “Law enforcement is a field that has a lot of good qualities and is one of the few jobs where you put yourself below others — by responding to issues, protecting communities and being dedicated to what you do. Hopefully, we are looking at the next generation of law enforcement right here.”

While a nation-wide program, the new group in Flathead County will be the only law enforcement explorer post currently operating in Montana and will be sponsored by the Boy Scouts as part of their Learning for Life program.

“We are very proud of this group. They are going to be the newest unit in the Montana Scout Council and we are thankful to the Sheriff’s Office for making this happen,” District Chairman of the Montana Council, Boy Scouts of America Tom Sward said.

Led by their advisor, reserve deputy Michael Hingiss, the Explorer program is open to Flathead County students ages 14 to 20 with interest in any aspect of law enforcement.

There are 15 spots available and vacant positions will be filled as students age out of the program.

“We are open to anyone who is interested in any form of public safety, from dispatch to deputy to even working in the jail,” Hingiss said. “We are open for participants who want to see if law enforcement is the career they want to go into. If they do, that’s great. If they determine it is not something that they want to do, that’s fine too. We just hope they can gain some valuable experience for whatever career path they choose.”

A member of the Dakota County Explorer Program in Apple Valley, Minnesota, while in high school, Hingiss says the lessons he learned with the group helped prepare him for a career in law enforcement and formed friendships that continue today.

“I learned a lot about how to deal with people and the basics of law enforcement. I learned what a law enforcement career is really like. You see things on television, but you don’t really know what the job entails until you get out there and do it. This program is a chance to get hands-on experience in safe, controlled settings,” Hingiss said. “I still talk to a lot of the people I was with at the post in Minnesota. A lot of them went on to law enforcement careers, including one that just got promoted to sergeant.”

Members of the Flathead post will meet once a week to learn more about law enforcement, from traffic stops to crash investigation and beyond.

The group even recently got a tour of the county dispatch center and were offered the chance to sit alongside a dispatcher for a shift.

According to Hingiss, the Explorers, wearing their light blue shirt and black pants uniforms along with their distinctive patch and badge, will soon become staples at area events such as the Northwest Montana Fair and the Creston Auction.

Hingiss is also looking for sponsors to help fund a trip to the Law Enforcement Explorer Post Advisors Association of Colorado’s Regional Conference at Western Colorado University in Gunnison, Colorado, in July.

Those wishing to learn more about the program or wanting to obtain an application can email Hingiss at mhingiss@flathead.mt.gov.

“This program was a big part of my life and I am happy to bring it to the Flathead Valley,” Hingiss said. “It is about learning to come together as a team to gain some valuable life experience and hopefully make some lifelong friends.”

Reporter Jeremy Weber can be reached at jweber@dailyinterlake.com.