Full Notification

Photo: Deputy Burlin Ballew, who will supervise the McDowell County Sheriff’s Office Explorer Program, teaches 11th-grade Explorer members Matthew Miller (left) and Shawn Nealley how to properly conduct a vehicle stop.


Teenagers thinking about a career in law enforcement should consider joining McDowell County Sheriff’s Office’s Explorer Program.
Deputy Burlin Ballew, the school resource officer at West McDowell Junior High, is overseeing the program. He is holding a “first-nighter” to recruit new members on Thursday, Nov. 14 at 6:30 p.m. in the West Junior High cafeteria.
The program is open to people ages 14 (who have completed eighth-grade) to 20. The cost is $30 per year.
The group will meet twice a month, the first and third Mondays at 5 p.m. at the Sheriff’s Office. Members will participate in classroom and hands-on activities that include the laws, vehicle stops, search and seizure, narcotics and many other areas of criminal justice.
Applications will be available at Thursday’s first-nighter. The Explorer Program is offered in conjunction with the Boy Scouts of America.
For more information, contact Burlin Ballew at the McDowell County Sheriff’s Office at 652-2235.