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ST. CLAIRSVILLE -- Belmont County Sheriff David M. Lucas announces the graduation of his office's second class of its Law Enforcement Post 7 Explorers Program.
Five youth completed the BCSO Explorer Academy and will participate in their graduation at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Belmont County Justice & Office Complex (former The Health Plan building), located at 52160 National Road in St. Clairsville.
"I continue to be proud and amazed by our Explorers and our leadership team," noted Lucas. "The academy covered the basics of law enforcement; the Explorers will continue their training, as well as community service.
"I'd also like to thank the parents for their support of the program and making sure their family members could attend and participate," he said.
BCSO Explorer graduates are Allison Provence, Nevaeh Lilley, Jacob Day, John Frank and Haiden Merrill.
"Our Explorer program, to date, has resulted in one Explorer being accepted at WVU's Forensic Biology Program, an Explorer being inducted into the National Honor Society, and a third enlisting in the Air Force to pursue a criminal justice path," Lucas added.
He and members of the BCSO Explorer leadership team will present comments, and graduates will receive their BCSO certificates and Law Enforcement Explorer pins.
Mary R. Ryan will be the keynote speaker. Ryan is a graduate of Liberty High School and Fairmont State University with a bachelor of acience degree in biology. She also obtained a master's degree in counterterrorism with a focus on Middle Eastern studies from the American Military University. Ryan started as an analyst in the FBI's Instant Criminal Background Checks System in 1997. Her law enforcement career has spanned more than 20 years, including serving as an intelligence analyst in the FBI's directorate of Intelligence Counterterrorism Division from 2001-13. Ryan has been a human resources specialist with the U.S. Department of Treasury since 2019.
BCSO's Law Enforcement Exploring Program is in collaboration with the Ohio River Valley Council of the Boy Scouts of America. Law Enforcement Explorer Programs are a nationally recognized, hands-on program open to Belmont County young men and women who have completed the eighth grade and are at least 14 years old, and under the age of 21 years, and have an interest in law enforcement or the criminal justice system. The program is designed to promote personal growth, character development, respect for the rule of law, physical fitness, good citizenship, patriotism, and interpersonal communication skills. These attributes are developed through training, practical experiences, mentoring, competition, and other activities.