The Portsmouth, Rhode Island Police Explorer program is a joint effort between the Portsmouth Police Department and the Boy Scouts of America. The program is designed to give males and females between the ages of 14 and 20 the opportunity to explore law enforcement as a possible career choice. At any time during the year a person in this age group may attend a weekly meeting to see what actually goes on at each meeting before becoming a member. There may be a wait until applications are accepted due to scheduling complications.

The Portsmouth Police Explorers meet on Thursday every week. During these meetings explorers receive training from the advisors, the post's higher rank and/or various officers from the department regarding a vast array of police related topics. The training that the explorers receive are put to use on any task an explorer might be needed for and any competitions the post may attend.

The explorers also assist the police department by providing young men and women for local events, such as parades and town functions. This program is designed to give its members a taste of actual law enforcement work before they even have to decide if they would like to pursue this field.

Leadership Positions: the post includes the following leadership positions designed to educate the explorer in leadership skills and chain of command: 1 Lieutenant and 3 Sergeants.  The Explorer program is run by Sgt. Steve Hoetzel. His telephone number is 643-0112