Green Mountain High School junior Cassandra Maya wanted to join the Navy.
Now, she wants to be a police officer.
“My grandfather was a Navy Seal,” she said. “I told him I was going into the Navy, because none of the boys in my family were going to do it.”
Maya’s grandfather suggested she become a police officer instead. Based on his advice, Maya joined Lakewood Police Department’s Explorer program — a precursor to a position in law enforcement — that proved itself last month to be one of the best programs in the country.
The Explorer program — originally spawned from the Boy Scouts — allows males and females from 14 to 21 to train with actual officers in a variety of law enforcement areas. Citizens might occasionally recognize the Explorers as younger counterparts to the actual officers they shadow. The Explorer’s light-blue uniforms contrast with the dark blue of police.
“Sometimes they interview victims and witnesses, but they don’t have arrest powers,” said Lakewood Agent Kelly Karinen, who oversees the program.
“They learn to do everything we do, they just can’t apply it,” she said.
Given the popularity of the programs nationally, it seemed like a natural fit to have a national competition. Hence, 57 Explorer teams, featuring more than 700 kids, gathered in Chandler, Ariz., last month for the 2007 Explorer Tactical Competition.
In the events, a team combined from the Lakewood Police Department and Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office placed in most events and won the overall award of the competition — the spirit award. Karinen enthusiastically pointed out that the Lakewood/Jeffco team even beat teams from the Los Angeles Police Department, despite the latter’s “money and fancy equipment.”
Billy Hummel, a student at Standley Lake High School and member of the Jeffco Explorers, particularly enjoyed the marijuana field raid, in which Explorers secure the namesake by rounding up suspects and avoiding booby traps.
“Out here, we may wear different uniforms, but down there we really became a team,” Hummel said.
“Two posts from two different departments combined, and it not only worked, it worked incredibly.”
In the wake of the victory in Arizona, both departments are riding high on their Explorer programs. So far, Hummel and Maya still want to pursue careers in law enforcement. Karinen said the opposite can frequently be true.
“We’re a special breed that do this,” Karinen said.
“If the kids find out that they don’t want to do this, more power to them, because its takes courage to say that.
“Some kids decide it’s not their thing,” she said.
“It’s a great recruiting tool for us.”
Maya and Hummel, however, said that their experiences through the Explorer program have only strengthened their resolve to one day become officers. Maya said she hopes to become a detective in the crimes against children unit.
“I like that the program gets your foot in the door, but you also get to help people,” Hummel said.
“As Explorers, we’re not really in a position to protect, but we’re in a position to serve.”