Police explorer teams made up of young people between the ages of 14 and 20 from California and Hawaii converged at Ripon High School in Modesto for the fourth annual Central Valley Explorer Competition July 18 through 20.
The Santa Maria Police Department’s explorers—Christian Barajas, Noe Vicente, Jazmin Martinez, Maria Morales, Jaime Belmontes, Anthony Olozagaste, Julian Mireles, and Nathan Torres—made the trek to the Central Valley. The team was evaluated on 16 reality-based scenarios during the two-day competition.
The scenarios included a suicidal subject, downed officer rescue, high-risk vehicle stop, family disturbance, shooting skills, obstacle course, DUI investigation, hostage rescue, bus assault, active shooter, hostage negotiation, vehicle search, burglary in progress, suspicious person, traffic stop, and crime scene investigation. SMPD explorers took third place in the vehicle search competition.
A press release from the police department said the competition tests, encourages, and helps develop explorers by promoting teamwork, leadership, knowledge, officer safety, responsibility, and motivation.
During the trip, explorers also visited the state Capitol building and the California Peace Officer Memorial in Sacramento.
The SMPD Explorer Program is catered to young people who have an interest in law enforcement. Anyone interested in becoming a Santa Maria Police Explorer should contact Sgt. Woody Vega at 928-3781, Ext. 361.
