To Sir With a Salute

It’s probably one of the most intense final examinations anyone could expect to experience before a graduation ceremony.

The morning briefing prior to the exam was like something out of “Hill Street Blues,” with row upon row of blue-shirted law enforcement personnel, plus a few in green sheriff’s uniforms scattered among the crowd, awaiting orders.

On closer inspection, however, you notice that many of the 31 young men and women assembled at the Ventura County Police and Sheriffs Reserve Academy at Camarillo Airport were wearing white Nikes and Reeboks instead of the black boots favored by more senior members of law enforcement.

The group being briefed were Explorers, teens ages 14 to 19 who were wrapping up a three-week camp to test their mettle as future police officers and sheriff’s deputies. Those who successfully completed Wednesday’s final exam will graduate today.

Despite the common image of today’s MTV generation--sporting flannels, baggy pants or tattoos--this was clearly a more clean-cut crowd.

“They don’t really go for that kind of stuff,” said 15-year-old Joey Clarke, a sophomore at Channel Islands High School in Oxnard.

What the camp’s advisors--police and Sheriff’s Department volunteers from various Ventura County cities--do go for are strict discipline and respect for their superiors.

Teens at the camp must address adults as “sir” or “ma’am,” and pity any Explorer who gets a little cocky, neglects to tuck in a shirt or forgets a button during a uniform inspection.

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“It’s tough when they yell at you, but you know they’re just messing with you,” said Jason Louis, 17, a senior at Buena High School in Ventura.

Participants in the Explorer program--actually an offshoot of the Boy Scouts of America--maintain that every week spent at the camp equates to a year in maturity.

“This program is making us grow up,” said Andy Garcia, 15, a sophomore at Rio Mesa High School in Oxnard.

Explorers also say the camp is a markedly different experience from other summer programs, where teens may spend their day learning about running a business or dissecting crayfish.

“Here it’s the staff dissecting us,” said Mike Brang, a 17-year-old senior at Simi Valley High School.

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Officer Greg Ramirez, who normally works in the gang suppression detail of the Oxnard Police Department, gave the Explorers a few words of advice about sitting shotgun in a cruiser before they set off on their ride-along exam.

“Remember, you’re [the officer’s] extra eyes and ears,” Ramirez said.

As the Explorers waited apprehensively for the ride-along, Ramirez remarked: “These kids are wound tighter than a spring.”

And for good reason.

In one scenario, the officer driving the cruiser is shot during a routine traffic stop and an actor portraying a gunman starts firing at the Explorer, who has no weapons nor protection.

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Another scenario forces each Explorer to deal with an unconscious female passenger who falls out of a red convertible after it has been pulled over, while the police officer tries to chase the car’s driver.

The Explorer’s performance during the pass/fail final exam determined whether they would be at tonight’s 7 p.m. graduation ceremony at Rio Mesa High School.

An Explorers’ final grade is determined by his or her reactions to the chain of events that unfold during each scenario. Advisors also observe whether the teens properly assess each situation, based on a checklist of procedures they were taught.

“They’re at the point in their lives where they’re expected to make adult decisions,” Ramirez said. “They’re accountable for everything they do here.”

All of the program’s participants seemed to agree that the discipline and respect for authority they have acquired since mid-July while pursuing the Boy Scout’s Law Enforcement Explorer certification would get them ahead in any career.

The lessons learned from camp also seem to follow many Explorers home.

“It’s kind of weird when you go home, because you think you have to address your dad and mom as ‘sir’ or ‘ma’am’ there,” Clarke said.