Cadet Training Academy Lays Down the Law

Three weeks ago, Explorer cadet Brandon Ordelheide couldn’t seem to learn to march properly.

“I could not get it down,” said Brandon, 15.

Every time Brandon or his fellow cadets in the summer Explorer academy made a misstep, the others had to do push-ups.

“Your heart jumps into your throat,” he said.

On Wednesday morning, Brandon and the other 16 cadets marched in flawless formation while executing dozens of complex turns during their formal inspection at the Ventura County Sheriff’s Reserve Academy at Camarillo Airport.

“It gives you that rush that you did something perfect,” Brandon said.

The Explorer program is a coeducational division of the Boy Scouts that allows young adults the chance to work with law enforcement agencies.

Youths can join the program at any time, but only those who complete the annual three-week academy earn their badges as Explorers.

Brandon, a Moorpark High School student whose father serves as acting chief of the San Fernando Police Department, wants to pursue a career in law enforcement, as do many of his fellow cadets.

“I learned more in this academy than I learned in school for a year,” he said.

The inspection was part of the final days of the academy, during which cadets from across Ventura County spent eight to 10 hours every weekday marching, studying and performing physical tests.

“It’s a condensed police academy,” said Oxnard Police Officer Ricardo Vasquez, one of the academy’s instructors.

In the classroom, the cadets, ages 14 to 21, learned about such everyday law enforcement issues as the California penal code, traffic stops and narcotics, Vasquez said. They also studied the history of law enforcement and met a K-9 unit.

After Friday’s graduation, the Explorers will work in various agencies doing an array of law enforcement tasks, including clerical work, going on ride-alongs or assisting with festivals and sting operations, Vasquez said.

During the inspection, the 17 cadets wore uniforms of either blue or khaki-and-green, depending on which agency they represented. Those participating included the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department and the police departments of Simi Valley, Oxnard and Port Hueneme.

As the officials walked down each line, they quizzed the cadets about who headed their respective agencies and what they had learned at the academy. They made sure their shoes were shined and that every cadet had a crisp, proper uniform.

Kimberly Lopez, 18, the class sergeant, shouted commands to the cadets and led them through their marching routine.

“Marching is one of our strongest points,” she said.

Lopez, who attends Ventura College, became interested in a law enforcement career after going on a ride-along with her cousin, an officer with the Oxnard Police Department.

“I knew right then I wanted to be an officer,” she said.

The first days of the academy were the toughest, she said.

“The hardest part is learning to deal with people screaming in your face,” Lopez said.

Last week her fellow cadets chose her as their sergeant, the first female ever chosen for the position.

“It was my goal coming in here,” she said. “It’s an honor.”

The training taught the cadets to work as a unit and to rely on one another, Lopez said.

“There’s no such thing as an individual in law enforcement,” she said.