Nearly 200 Explorer Scouts from Orange and Los Angeles counties will get a taste of police work this week with demonstrations by SWAT, a K-9 unit and a helicopter unit. The scouts are taking part in the 2010 Explorer Summer Academy that runs through Thursday at the BSA Irvine Ranch Outdoor Education Center in Orange.   

Law Enforcement Explorers are young men and women between the ages of 14 and 21 who are interested in a career in law enforcement.  The Explorer Academy is an abbreviated version of a regular Law Enforcement Academy. Housed and fed in dorms, Explorers learn to handle situations under stressful conditions and are challenged physically with running, push-ups and other activities.

The Explorers also attend classes on Driving Under the Influence, Traffic Accident Investigations, Gang Investigations, Criminal Law, Ethics and more. The program is sponsored by the Orange County Law Enforcement Explorer Advisor Association (OCLEEAA). Officers and deputies from agencies belonging to the association lead the academy.  

Explorers who successfully complete the academy will graduate on Thursday at the Sheriff's Regional Academy in Tustin.  

The department is recruiting youth interested in joining the program. Candidates must be in good standing at their schools, maintain a strong GPA and have no criminal convictions.  Explorers attend weekly meetings with their respective departments and volunteer hours to their communities by working DUI checkpoints, traffic control at parades, carnivals and various events at local schools.  In Aliso Viejo, the Explorers help the City each year with its popular Founder's Day Fair in September. Many parades and other events in the communities would not take place without the Explorers' voluntary assistance.  

Youth interested in becoming an Explorer Scout should contact Deputy Gregg Surrell of the Orange County Sheriff's Department at 714-476-3189.








The City of Aliso Viejo, which incorporated July 1, 2001, encompasses approximately 7 square miles with roughly 46,123 residents.  The City's annual budget is roughly $30 million.  The City supports a thriving business community with companies such as Pacific Life Insurance Co.; United Parcel Service (UPS); Clarient; Valeant Pharmaceuticals; Q-Logic; Lennar Homes; Buy.Com; Fluor Daniel; Pepsi Bottling, Inc.; Shea Homes; the Renaissance ClubSport Hotel; and Bausch and Lomb. Aliso Viejo has 23 parks, vast open space and top-notch amenities including the Aliso Viejo Ranch and the City's new Conference Center and Aquatic Center. The City of Aliso Viejo welcomes you to "Experience It All."  The City is also celebrating 2010 as the Year of the Youth.  For more information, visit www.cityofalisoviejo.com.