ST. LOUIS – It’s day three of the Explorers Academy and Josh Sinnokrak of Liberty, Missouri, is showing no signs of slowing down.
“I’m really enjoying it. I’m going to stick with it,” the 17-year-old said.
Sinnokrak and dozens of other youth between 14-20, are participating in the St. Louis Area Law Enforcement Association’s 2025 Police Explorers Academy.
“This program is designed to help these youth identify if they want to enter a career in law enforcement. So we use that to train them and show them this career field, and is this something you want to continue to do, and go to the police academy for? Or is it something where you’re not really sure what you want to do, and you want to explore other options,” Academy Director Sgt. Kenny Enz said.
The week-long overnight program features a variety of hands-on training activities and exercises, as well as presentations.
Early Tuesday morning, students were taking part in a high-adrenaline building search exercise. Later in the day, they met with bomb and arson investigators and, afterwards, were introduced to a K9 from the Arnold Police Department.
“Every person we meet is very experienced in what they do, and they offer us a lot of knowledge. Not just right now, but also for future careers,” David Sandbach, Jr., said.
Each academy is dedicated to a fallen officer. This year’s group paid tribute to St. Louis County Police Det. Antonio Valentine, who was killed in the line of duty in December of 2021.
Valentine’s daughter spoke to the group about her father. Students also heard from St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department Officer Phillip Green and Hazelwood Police Officer Craig Tudor. Both were critically injured in the line of duty.
Tudor is the uncle of one of the Explorers, Sara Tudor.
“He’s been through a lot, but at the end of the day, you can’t be scared of that. Because with a lot of things, you can get hurt,” she said. “I like to help people—I’ve always liked to help people.”
Students will be reunited with their families Saturday, when they will be recognized at the Explorer Academy graduation.
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