New pin given to teens who care for Utah Fallen Officers memorial


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SALT LAKE CITY — Maybe it was the moment, or maybe she just wanted others to have a sense of respect here. Whatever it was, Amy Novoa wanted to make sure the Utah Law Enforcement Memorial at the Capitol was properly taken care of.

"It means a lot to us. It's a lot of responsibility to us, but it's also a huge honor because we're given that responsibility. We're not treated like young kids like most of society would treat us,” Novoa said.

Novoa is 20 years old and is captain of the Salt Lake City Police Explorers team. It's a volunteer program where teenagers work with real officers.

One of their weekly assignments is to make sure the Memorial is clean.

"There is definitely a weight upon every Explorer that walks on the grounds here,” said Explorer Anthony Mora. “Just looking at the statues and the plaques and the seal in the center, it's definitely meaningful to all of us."

Tuesday evening, during a ceremony at the memorial, all 40 Explorers were given the Memorial Guardians pin for their work here. It's the first time this type of pin has ever been given to Salt Lake City Police Explorers.

Explorers may not have known the names of the officers on the plaques behind them during the ceremony, but as police hopefuls themselves, they understand the sacrifice.

"I know it's not a perfect world, but if we get officers who have integrity and officers that are trustworthy, it'll be a slightly better place,” Mora said.

It's exactly the type of officer the Salt Lake City Police Department wants to hire.

“We hope so. That’s our intent,” said Salt Lake City officer Cody Lougy. “The nice thing about this program is we know them. These kids are just phenomenal and they are dedicated to this program.”

New pin given to teens who care for Utah Fallen Officers memorial
Photo: KSL TV

Besides taking care of the memorial, Explorers also help with traffic during the Salt Lake City Marathon and LDS General Conference weekends.

The program has meant a lot to Novoa. She’s been an Explorer for 3 1/2 years.

“I always go home feeling joy and feeling good. I feel like I accomplished something,” Novoa said.

Novoa's parents have seen the change in her.

“I think it’s great. It’s beautiful. She’s always very happy and she’s very proud to be a part of the program,” said Mel Flores, Novoa’s father.

“I’m really proud of her and what she has accomplished,” said Novoa’s mother, Estella Flores. “I know she’s very happy with what she is doing.”

This current group of Explorers is also diverse. There are six different languages spoken among them from four different countries.

“Half are male and half are female,” Lougy said.

“This is our future and so we hope these individuals become our future police officers.”

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