| A Brief history of the North Carolina Academy for Law Enforcement Explorers |
| In 1978, in an effort to bring Law Enforcement Explorer Posts together, Officer John Winecoff (Wilmington P.D.), approached Perry Powell, then director of the N.C. Justice Academy at Salemburg, N.C. with a revolutionary idea. Officer Winecoff proposed an academy to give Law Enforcement Explorers a chance to experience law enforcement training in an academy setting. The director prensented the plan to the Attorney General and it was approved. Officer Winecoff met with Trooper C.H. Sluder and Sgt. F.L. Overby both of the N.C.S.H.P., Officer Dan Hodgson (Highpoint P.D. and Sgt Jim Lambert (305th Air Force Security Police) and laid the ground work for the first academy. The N.C. Justice Academy would provide lodging for one week, the third week of June, all training materials, and instructors. The academy committe would provide counselors, and chaperones. In 1978. the first academy was held with 24 students. The Academy continued with 24 students until 1981. In 1981, the committee approached the Director with the idea of expanding to include an Advanced Class. The Academy had grown in popularity and the request to attend had increased. The Justice Academy agreed and the Advanced Class was formed. The curriculum was taken from the Justiice Academy Officer Survival Course. In 1983, with a tightened State budget, the Justice Academy advised the Academy Committee that they would no longer be able to provide instructors or print training materials. The N.C. Association for Law Enforcement Explorers, formed in 1979 agreeded to provide these items if the Justice Academy would provide lodging. In 1983, the Association and the Justice Academy reached an agreement on the terms of the Academy. Since that time until the present, the Association has coordinated the Academy,providing instructors, advisors, counselors and all training materials. |