Some Bibb County teenagers are getting a first-hand look at what it's like to be a deputy. They're part of the Explorer's Program put on by the Sheriff's Office Outreach Section.
The teens experience the same training deputies must go through, including how to handle traffic stops, the correct way to clear a building, and even physical fitness training.
"It's a lot more dangerous than it seems," says Southwest student Nigel Wilmore, who thought the job would be more like what he saw on his favorite show "Cops."
The program is meant to train and encourage the next generation of officers, but another student Frederick Gray says it's also an important tool to bridge the gap between law enforcement and the community.
"People want to think that cops are bad, but really they're not. They're good people, from what I have experienced, they're good people." Gray says he wants to use what he's learned in the program to share that message with his friends and others in the community, especially younger kids.
"If kids hang around people that are positive influences, then I'm sure those influences would get them to open up and be open with officers," says Wilmore's twin sister Nadiyah, who is also in the program.
The students meet once or twice a month over the course of a year. Deputy Santel Smith runs the program and says after students complete the first year, they can continue helping with the program until they turn 21. He says the Sheriff's Office Outreach Section is accepting applications now and will hold an open house in October for students who would like to be part of this year's class of explorers. The course is free for all high school students in the county.
Deputy Smith says students will also get the opportunity to put their training to the test during a national competition in February.
This is just one of several programs offered by the Bibb Sheriff's Office. Lieutenant Randy Gonzalez says they're beginning Police Athletic League basketball, Citizens on Patrol, gun safety classes, and the Sheriff's Citizens class.