Longtime Miami-Dade Police Department Explorer Program Advisors Helping to Shape the Lives of Youth

Tucked inside Officer Arlene Jimenez’s desk drawer is a folder stuffed with snapshots, some Polaroids, of the hundreds of young men and women she has supervised over the past 20 years at the Hammocks District, as part of the Miami-Dade Police Department Explorer Program.  Mixed in with the photos are letters from former cadets, thanking her for the time she took to mentor them, and giving her updates on milestones in their lives, like births, marriage, and new jobs.

Many of her former cadets work in the criminal justice field, including within the FBI, DEA and other federal agencies, or as crime analysts, attorneys and probation officers, and some serve in the military.

The Explorer Program is a career-oriented volunteer youth program, for teens interested in a career in law enforcement or a related field in the criminal justice system. It offers teens a chance to train like a police officer, and learn about the career directly from working officers.

Advisors to the program are chosen based on their interpersonal skills, and work out of their district’s Neighborhood Resource Unit. Twenty years ago, Officer Jimenez was on road patrol, working midnights in the Hammocks District, when the position opened up. She applied and got the job. The academy class size back then was as many as 60 cadets, but now the average class size is about 10-15 cadets at each of the eight districts that have a program; Intracoastal, Northside, Northwest, Midwest, Hammocks, Kendall, South, and the Town of Miami Lakes. 

When Officer Jimenez recently pulled the folder full of photos from her file cabinet, it was a trip down memory lane. She recalled experiences with different class over two decades, and beamed with pride at the achievements of many of her former cadets, including one who was awarded “2022 Officer of the Year” by the South Florida Police Benevolent Association.

Doral Police Department Officer Daniel Vilarchao had only been on the job for six months when he helped subdue an armed subject on October 21, 2021, likely preventing innocent civilians from being harmed. Officer Vilarchao sustained facial injuries from one of the rounds fired by the subject, but he made a full recovery.

Officer Jimenez recently ran into another former cadet, who now works as an attorney in the Kendall area. He is married and has two children, and invited Officer Jimenez to his house for dinner, to meet his family. “He told me his experience as an Explorer was something that motivated him towards his career, so it’s rewarding to see that, to know that I was a positive influence in his life.”

Officer Rosmel Hurtado, the co-advisor of the Explorer Program at the Hammocks District, said of Officer Jimenez, “She has a special way with the cadets, and I’ve learned patience and discipline from her. We call her Momma Arlene. We really care about the kids, treat them like they’re our own, because we want them to be something, to have success. 

The Department counts dozens of former Explorers in its workforce, including seven who went through the program at the Hammocks District and are currently assigned there, like Officer Gerardo Perez III, who was an Explorer from 2005 through 2011. He joined the Department in 2016.

When he was an 18-year-old cadet, Officer Perez sought Officer Jimenez’s advice on a big decision. He was considering asking his girlfriend for her hand in marriage. He carried around an engagement ring that had belonged to his aunt, and was waiting for the perfect moment to propose to his girlfriend. After an Explorer meeting, he showed Officer Jimenez the ring, seeking her advice. She had a private conversation with him, and Officer Perez eventually decided to hold off from getting engaged at such an early age.

“I’ve known her since I was 14,” Officer Perez said. “She has always been there for me, she is like a second mom.” He said his time as an Explorer convinced him to become a police officer. “It was a great experience, I got to see what police officers go through.”   

Officer Sabrina Toledo, assigned to the Neighborhood Resource Unit at the Midwest District, has also been a Police Explorer Advisor for 20 years, and like Officer Jimenez, her style mixes instructions on policing, with life lessons.

“It’s been consistent over the years, teaching them about police work, but also about responsibility, and commitment, key life skills to prepare them for jobs and the future,” Officer Toledo said. Many of her former cadets are also officers within the Department, and occasionally stop her to thank her. “It’s been a great experience, and proof that what I’ve done over the years has had a positive effect.”

One of her former students, Medley Police Officer Oman Galban, was awarded his department’s “2022 Officer of the Year,”  after receiving a lifesaving award, and a commendation for catching a felony suspect. In accepting the award, he thanked “everyone that has mentored me along the way.”

Officer Galban went through the Explorer Program at Midwest District in 2014. Medley Police Department Lieutenant Arturo Jinet said Officer Galban was hired based on a recommendation from Officer Toledo.

Lieutenant Jinet and Officer Toledo have worked closely together over the years to organize the annual South Florida Explorer Competition, held during spring break. Lieutenant Jinet is the Chair of the event, but says that Officer Toledo “is the brains of the actual competition.” The competition includes scenarios such as traffic stops, Baker Act procedure, and crime scene evaluation, and the cadets are judged based on their performance. As many as 20 posts from throughout Miami-Dade and Broward Counties participate in the three-day event.

Lieutenant Jinet said Officer Toledo is a shining example of an officer who invests in youth and has a positive influence on their lives. “She has definitely been like a mother to many of the cadets,” he said. “She has taken them to Marlins games, she has been there for the kids when they call and need a ride. The work she puts in for those kids is incredible. She truly helps to prepare them for adulthood.”

The Miami-Dade Police Department Explorer Program is year-round, with weekly two-hour meetings. The three-week academy is held in the summer, and is modeled from the Department’s nine-month academy. The Explorer Program academy is physically challenging and to make the experience as realistic as possible, the cadets are occasionally yelled at. They are constantly quizzed on radio codes and law enforcement regulations. Training exercises include building searches and responding to mock domestic situations. They also do team-building exercises, help the Department at weekend events such as food drives, and assist Miami-Dade County Commissioners at their respective events. Explorers also go on leisurely, fun outings, like to Universal Studios, pizza nights, and canoeing, perks that are hard earned.

The program is a way for high school students to fulfill their community service requirement necessary to graduate. Candidates must be between the ages of 14 and 17 to enroll and the age limit is 20.  There is a uniform requirement and the cadets are assigned rank. While the Explorers Program is geared towards youth interested in law enforcement, there are many who go on to have careers in the business, educational, and medical fields.

“Not every high school student is willing to wake up early during the summer break to do calisthenics and stand at attention while instructors shout at them,” Officer Hurtado said. “It’s interesting, you think they would tone it down so they don’t scare them away, because they’re juveniles and it’s their summer vacation, and you would think it’s the last thing they want to do, to get yelled at or told to run. But the kids push each other, and they don’t quit.”

By Brian Ballou