On July 31, 2008, Dorothy Roth of The Wackenhut Corporation presented a $750 check to Aurora Police Chief Daniel J. Oates who accepted the donation on behalf of the Police Department's Explorer program.

The Aurora Police Explorers are uniformed civilian volunteers and a Chief Oates said, " On behalf of the Aurora Police Department and Explorer Post 2024 I want to thank The Wackenhut Corporation for this generous donation and for their support of this important program."

In 2007, the Aurora Police Explorers Post contributed over 5000 hours of volunteer services to the Aurora Police Department and the citizens of Aurora.

The Wackenhut Corporation believes strongly in supporting organizations whose mission it is to serve the needs of the community. Wackenhut General Manager, Dorothy Roth explains: The Wackenhut Corporation understands the needs of such a great program and the benefits this program offers to the community. These young men and women are our future. Giving back to an organization that is training and preparing them to provide for our security needs in the future gives us great pride. I have had the opportunity to work along side of some of these fine young members of our community and I look forward to continued opportunities in the years to come.

We believe the Police Explorer program is an excellent program for young people considering a career in Law Enforcement. The Explorer program has launched the careers of nearly 50 local, state and federal officers to include the son of the Western Regional Vice President. The Wackenhut Western Region Vice President, who is based in Aurora, began his career over 38 years ago as a Police Explorer.

Every year, each of the 115 Wackenhut Area Offices competes for the National Community Service Award. In 2007, the Aurora office was one of only three offices in the US to receive this award based on security services provided to the Columbine Memorial. As a bronze award winner, the Aurora office was awarded a donation to the charity of its choice. The APD Explorer program was selected for its outstanding volunteer work in the community.

Background on The Wackenhut Corporation

The Wackenhut Corporation has been a member of the Aurora community for over 46 years. Wackenhut provides physical security, investigations and related services to business, industry and government. Wackenhut currently employs over 600 uniformed security professionals in Colorado and 38,000 nationally. The Wackenhut Corporation has over 110 offices in the US. Current operations extend across the entire State of Colorado with over 650 local employees. More information on The Wackenhut Corporation can be found at www.g4s.com/usw.

Background on the Aurora Police Explorer Program

Started in 1981, the Police Explorer program currently has 30 active members between the ages of 14 and 21. The young men and women that make up the ranks of the Explorer program attend local high schools, colleges and the University of Colorado. This program is designed to give young men and women an opportunity to develop their character, citizenship, leadership skills and fitness levels. In order to achieve these goals, Explorers participate in a variety of activities that involve community service. Police Explorers provide a variety of services to the Department and the community including:

Providing security, crowd and traffic control at community events.

· Assist with front desk operations at District Stations. Participate in local, regional and national competitions and conferences. Assist the Police Training Academy and SWAT with role playing during training exercises.

Explorer Commander Amber Buck, who is the highest ranking Police Explorer, joined the program in 2005. In July of 2007 she became the first female Explorer to be promoted to the rank of Commander. Explorer Commander Buck is a graduate of the 2005 Law Enforcement Explorer Post Advisors Association of Colorado's (LEEPAAC) Leadership Academy. She also attended the 2007 and 2008 Explorer Tactical Competition in Chandler, Arizona.

More information on the Police Explorer program can be found by visiting their website at www.auroraexplorers.com.