Police program gives 14- to 21-year-olds firsthand experience in
law enforcement
Gilroy – They are the next wave of law enforcement officers. Some will work patrol, some will become dispatchers and detectives. Others will head to law school. They have their own uniforms, they know the police codes. They are members of the Gilroy Police Department’s Explorer program.
The 25 current GPD Explorers range from 14 to 21 and ride alongside officers on patrol, learning firsthand the ins and outs of law enforcement.
“It makes you feel like a real cop,” said Gavilan College freshman Christal Gallion, an Explorer for the past year and half. “You also get to bond with people you might be working with someday.”
Gallion hopes to someday work patrol for GPD.
“When I was a kid, I thought about being a lawyer. Then after a while I thought about different kinds of law,” she explained.
Working a beat seemed to fit her best. She goes on ride alongs as often as she can.
“I like the excitement of not really knowing what to expect everyday,” Gallion said. “And you get to do good things for people.”
The GPD Explorers are part of a nationwide program sponsored by Boy Scouts of America. Both males and females are welcome to join.
“It’s not a program for kids who are on the wrong track,” said Cpl. Geoff Guerin, who runs the program. “They’re going to be exposed to a lot of confidential stuff. It teaches them a lot of responsibility … At an early age you can see if you want to take the time and energy to go through the academy.”
Explorers must have clean backgrounds and undergo an interview and testing process similar to officers hired into the police department. They have a rank system similar to the police department’s, with some Explorers testing to reach sergeant and lieutenant status.
Guerin himself is a former GPD Explorer.
“I started when I was 14,” he said. “I had no idea I wanted to be a cop, but it opened my eyes and here I am.”
He was hired as a reserve officer at 20 and by the following year, he was hired on as full-time officer.
More than half of the patrol officers at GPD are former Explorers, and some of the first members of the group that began in 1973 are still on staff.
“When (Explorers) come into the program, we treat them as employees,” Guerin explained. “We stress when you’re wearing the uniform, your representing the police department. We expect them to be professional. When we’re out there in public – it’s business.”
Explorers work various details during the year such as the Garlic Festival and Christmas tree lighting ceremony directing traffic, and going on ride alongs with police officers. They meet once a month and learn some type of training such as how to perform felony car stops, defense tactics and how to make an arrest.
Currently, there are 10 females and 15 males active in the program – and most of the females hope to become police officers. There are more than 60 sworn officers in the Gilroy Police Department – only five are female.
“We’re actually catching up to the guys, we all want to be cops, too,” said 16-year-old Explorer Emily Medina. “The purpose is mainly for people who want careers in law enforcement or people who want a better sense of what the police department is like … I’m excited to be a cop.”
The San Benito High School junior has been a member of GPD’s program for the past 17 months and has acquired skills that allow her to focus in emergency and high stress situations.
“One time I went to a major accident and at first it was nerve-wracking, because a pedestrian was hit and it was kind of grotesque,” she said. “It made me have to conquer my nerves and do the job right.”
While working at her first Garlic Festival someone fainted in front of her and another Explorer who were directing traffic. They radioed for a “person down” and helped the individual get medical attention.
In early January, an East Palo Alto Explorer witnessed the shooting death of the officer he was on a riding with, prompting some to question whether the program puts the Explorers too close to the line of danger.
But Explorers do not touch criminals. While some Explorers are present during vehicle pursuits and other higher risk activities, most insist they are safe on the job.
“I feel really safe when I’m with them (on patrol),” Gallion said.
Often on car stops, the Explorers will stand behind the door, adjust the spotlight and watch the passengers to make sure they aren’t grabbing for a weapon, she said.
Explorers help write tickets and learn how to file paperwork, too.
“Almost everybody in there has the goal to become a police officer,” Gallion said. “I definitely want to be a beat cop on patrol, out on the streets.”
