Teens explore a career in law enforcement
By Daniel Wolowicz camarillo@theacorn.com

IT'S NOW OFFICIAL-Steve Varela, left, Joshua Zelman, center, and Mike Southward stand with their diplomas after graduation from the Explorers program, a three-week course hosted by Ventura County's sheriff and police departments to introduce teenagers to police work.

 

Not many teens would volunteer three weeks of their summer vacation to study law, write research papers and run obstacle courses in record-breaking heat. Joshua Zelman and Michael Southward, both 17, did all those things in the hope of one day becoming police officers.

Along with 36 young adults from throughout the county, the two Camarillo residents took part in the Ventura County law enforcement Explorer Academy, a no-nonsense program that gives teens a first-hand look at police work.

This year's class of Explorers graduated Fri., Aug. 18 at Rio Mesa High School in Oxnard.

"I think one of the big eye-openers was what it takes to be a police officer," Zelman said. "These people go out every single day and try and make our community safer."

The graduating class was made up of several local posts, each representing a city's police department. Zelman and Southward were part of the 16-member Camarillo post.

The 120-hour academy, which is modeled after the rigorous police and sheriff's academies, is open to anyone from 14 to 20. From 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Explorers attend classes with deputies and officers from participating police departments.

The courses include criminal law, crime scene investigation, patrol procedures, traffic investigation and report writing.

"It's not all high-speed chases and foot pursuits," Zelman said of police work. "It's a lot of community service, too."

Like a real academy, the Explorers' days were divided between time in the classroom and time outside participating in drills and physical training.

"We've been taught that everything we've learned in the academy, we can take out into life," Zelman said. "When we stand at attention, that's training us to stay serious in a serious situation." Senior Dep. Julie Novak with the Camarillo Police Department oversaw the Camarillo post and was an academy instructor. Novak said this year's class was one of the largest in history.

"They are doing some of the things that some of our adult cadets wouldn't do, and they are doing it on their own time," Novak said.

Novak said that although the class started slowly, they finished their training well.

"At first it was a little bit harder to pull them together, but in the end, it's one of the strongest classes we've seen," Novak said.

Once the teens complete the academy, they volunteer at their respective police stations. The Explorers are taken on ride-alongs and help deputies direct traffic during local special events. In addition, they participate in community outreach programs, such as annual food and toy drives.

Novak said the Sheriff's Department is accepting candidates for next year's session. For more information, call (805) 388-5131.