Twins pull double duty
By Michelle Knight knight@theacorn.com

BILL SPARKES/Acorn Newspapers MADE IT- Camarillo residents Amber Brazier-Vorhees, left, and her twin sister Nicole Brazier, 23, both graduated from the Ventura County Criminal Justice Training Center earlier this month to become the first twin sisters in the department's history to become rookie deputies from the same cadet class.

Like many identical twins, Nicole Brazier and Amber Brazier-Voorhees have done nearly everything together.

But the 23-year-old Camarillo residents broke new ground on March 30 when they graduated from the Ventura County Sheriff's academy and became sworn deputies.

Capt. Jerry Hernandez said the department has had siblings go through the 21-week training but none were twins. Add in the fact that they're female and "that's pretty remarkable," he said.

Nicole and Amber grew up in Simi Valley and attended Moorpark College. They played on the same softball teams, took the same classes and even won the same academic and athletic scholarship to Notre Dame de Namur in Northern California.

Both graduated with a degree in sociology and a minor in psychology in 2005.

Although people have told them they have the looks of a fashion model, Amber and Nicole opted for a career in law enforcement, attracted to the adrenalinerush of catching bad guys.

"It's kind of hard to explain- we just know this is where we're supposed to be," Amber said. While Amber and her husband, Chad, share the same Camarillo home with Nicole and her boyfriend, Jose Gonzalez, the sisters call each other at least once a day. Sometimes they receive busy signals because they're calling each other at the same time.

Onlookers may be confused by their conversations, because one of the pair rarely has to finish a sentence for the other to understand what's being communicated- often a "yeah" or nod midsentence will suffice.

A good example of their style of communicating is one recent phone conversation between them about a TV show. "You've got to watch . . ." Nicole said, before being interrupted by Amber.

"I already am," Amber replied.

Away from their job at the main jail in Ventura, the women have an easygoing nature. But while at work only their serious side shows.

Nicole said they don't have a problem commanding respect from the prisoners.

"If you give them respect, they'll give you respect," she said. "You've got to be firm."

"Firm, fair and consistent," Amber added.

Hired last year on May 3, their birthday, Nicole and Amber worked in the main jail for six months before entering the academy.

"We were the lucky ones who got chosen to do that," Amber said.

It took the prisoners a while before they realized the women were twins.

Capt. Steve Wade, their supervisor, said that will also be a challenge for him and other coworkers.

"I don't know how the academy did it," he said.

Nicole works days, while Amber works at night.

Where do they see themselves five years from now?

While Amber likes the idea of becoming a detective, Nicole leans toward training new officers at the academy.

They may even break more ground and become the first female-twin members of SWAT.