Old Explorer Returns to Train Young

After a recent Fourth of July fireworks show, 20 teenage police Explorers scoured a city park to look for two lost children, fanning out with flashlights and searching bathroom stalls, trash cans and bushes.

“We were really getting worried by 10:30 p.m. or so,” said Fernando Miranda, volunteer advisor for the Explorers affiliated with the San Fernando Police Department. “Time was of the essence.”

The Explorers, who had been assisting officers that night with crowd control, left no stone unturned.

“The Explorers got in there and searched every part of the park,” Miranda said. “That’s what is expected of them. Full participation--100%. No questions asked.”

Although the missing children--ages 9 and 4--eventually were found by others, many Explorers relished the opportunity to serve.

“I just want to help people and protect the community,” said Christine Salandino, 18, of Granada Hills, who hopes to become a police officer with the department someday.

The Explorer program was created by the Boy Scouts of America in 1962 for young people ages 14 to 20. Around 300,000 youths nationally participate in the program, which offers an introduction to professions, such as aviation, sciences and arts and humanities.

The San Fernando Police Department set up its Explorer program in 1971. Participating students must maintain a C average, have no arrests and demonstrate a willingness to serve and learn. Applicants are screened and selected based in part on a letter of recommendation and an interview.

Upon acceptance, new recruits pay for their uniforms, shoes, training gear and equipment, but are permitted to raise funds to help cover the cost.

Then they attend Explorer Academy held for 18 Saturdays at the College of the Canyons in Valencia. Sessions, where Explorers receive 184 hours of instruction on topics such as law, firearms safety and police procedures, are offered two or three times a year, Miranda said.

Afterward, Explorers are eligible to help officers with crowd control at events, staff fingerprinting booths at community fairs and accompany officers on patrol. Last year, Explorers with the San Fernando Police Department amassed more than 10,000 hours helping the city.

“Our main job,” Miranda said, “is to serve the community.”

Miranda, 31, is not just an associate advisor, but a friend and mentor to the close-knit group. He completed the Explorers program in 1989.

“When I deal with the kids, I always call on how well I was treated by my advisors,” he said.

The lifelong San Fernando resident attended college and embarked on a career in security, starting out at Warner Center. He now works for Los Angeles Unified School District as a safety officer for the Pacoima Skills Center, an adult day school.

When he learned the Explorers program might be closed in 1995 because enrollment had declined to only five participants, he returned.

“I stepped up and said, ‘Let’s do something about it,’ ” he said. “Without these kinds of programs, the kids won’t have a place to go.”

About 24 young men and women are now involved in the department’s program. In addition to community activities, Explorers meet three times a month for military-like inspection and informational and instructional meetings.

On a recent evening, the Explorers filed into the station’s briefing room for roll call, followed by a lecture by an officer from a canine unit. They sat in creased, short-sleeved shirts, their long, black flashlights at the ready, hands resting in their laps.

Afterward, Miranda got down to Explorer business, going over details about an upcoming four-day trip to Big Bear, where the group will compete in games against other Los Angeles-area Explorer units. Late into the 2 1/2-hour meeting, Miranda sensed restlessness and called for drills in the parking lot.

“I need to hear the soles of your shoes hitting the ground,” he barked as the Explorers marched in formation. “Step so hard that you think the soles of your shoes are gonna come off.”

Miranda was stern, yet approachable, when Carolina Estrada, 18, broke into nervous laughter as she called the familiar military cadence.

“Left, left, left, right, left,” she sang with a crack in her voice.

She made a few mistakes, confusing the troop. At one point, the two parallel lines of Explorers were headed straight for a wall.

“I hate this,” Estrada said to Miranda. “Look at me. I’m shaking.”

But Miranda would not let up.

“Take control of that group,” he demanded.

A moment later, he took her aside for encouragement. She composed herself and called out an about-face. The extra push, Miranda said, would help them understand they can do anything.

“We can’t ever let these Explorers give up,” he said.

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