"I was very quiet at first, but once I felt comfortable, it kind of felt like hanging out with my brothers, actually," David Bravo tells KGUN.
Bravo is one of three current members of the South Tucson Police Department's Explorer Program, which has been serving the area's youth for nearly 50 years.
But the program saw a decline in enrollment during the pandemic, and now they're trying to rebuild it, per KGUN.
"This program is here for kids on the Southside of Tucson who aren't historically looking at law enforcement as a potential career," says Senior Advisor Carlos Valdez.
"So we want to reach those young adults and let them know that you can come down and be a member here."
The program immerses participants in day-to-day police work, teaching them "morals, values, discipline, and good ethics," Valdez says.
They also get "an abbreviated training in that," he adds.
Explorer Saul Rodarte says the experience has helped him follow his dream of becoming a police officer.
"Since I was a little kid, I've always wanted to become a police officer," he says.
He and Izeyah Shonk received an award for demonstrating what they've learned in real-life
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