In a mock terrorism exercise Explorer Scouts, the youngest being 14 years old, burst into a crime scene, where two people have been killed. With masks on their faces, and pellet guns at the ready they come upon a "disgruntled Iraq war veteran" who has gone on a rampage and must be stopped. “United States Border Patrol! Put your hands up!” yells one of the Scouts and the suspect is brought down.

Scouts in the program, described by one boarder patrol agent as "quite a step up from the square knot", are taught the techniques that will assist them in facing down terrorist, neutralizing "active shooters" similar to those who have attacked college campuses, and going on drug interdiction missions.

In a, don't try this a home, warning the trainers say the techniques learned are "not intended to be applied outside the simulated Explorer setting." The exercises have only been developed to show scouts what type of real life situations they might see as a law enforcement agent.

The Explorer Scouts are affiliated with the Boy Scouts Of America. It started 60 years ago as a "coeducational" program that as the article says was set up to train scouts to "confront terrorism, illegal immigration and escalating border violence." Imperial County sheriff, A. J. Lowenthal, says the program is really about "...being a true-blooded American guy and girl" and that “It fits right in with the honor and bravery of the Boy Scouts.”

The scouts taking the training give different reasons for their involvement. Sixteen year old Felix Arce says the program teaches him the discipline he is missing in his everyday life. Cathy Noriego, another 16 year old, is "attracted by the guns." She said “I like shooting them...I like the sound they make. It gets me excited.”

There are not as yet any critics of the program but the Explorer Scouts have had problems within the organization in the past. There have been civil and legal case of sexual misconduct brought against the scouts, so all Adult leaders must take an online sexual misconduct training program.

The law enforcement program is just one of 12 offered by the Explorer Scouts "Learning for Life" program. Others include the sciences, medicine, and aviation. By far though law enforcement is one of the groups most popular programs. It accounts for nearly a quarter of all Explorer Scouts. Some 35,000 of 145,000 members. To be involved in the program a scout has to be from 14 to 21in age and have a C average in school.

Also the program has been good for getting dads involved in the kids lives. They don't have soccer moms they have explorer dads. They grill burgers and donate the use of their property for the kids to use on mock marijuana field raids. And there is no playing around in these exercises. The article says the "would-be law-enforcement officers...moved down alleys where there were hidden paper targets of people pointing guns, and made split-second decisions about when to shoot. In rescuing hostages from a bus taken over by terrorists, a baby-faced young girl screamed, “Separate your feet!” as she moved to handcuff her suspect."

A simulation in Arizona included a person dressed in "traditional Arab dress." Regarding that exercise, Deputy Lowentha said, “If we’re looking at 9/11 and what a Middle Eastern terrorist would be like, then maybe your role-player would look like that. I don’t know, would you call that politically incorrect?”

They strive of authenticity. To that end they involve as many law enforcement agencies as possible. Included are the FBI, local sheriff and police departments, as well as, in the case in Imperial county, two state prisons and a large Border Patrol and immigration enforcement agencies.

Kids get an up close and personal look and law enforcement as well as a sense of what they might want to do in the future. Seventeen year old Alexandra Sanchez said, just before running off to another bus hijacking, that “I like the idea of having law enforcement work with medicine...this is a great program for me.”