POLICE COMPETITION BROUGHT IN 67 TEAMS TO PARTICIPATE IN EVENT

BAY CITY - Darla Galvan is thrown to the ground, handcuffed and searched.
Three youths search Galvan's clothing and the classrooms contents for more
drugs. They find mock crack - rocks and chalk, and ether water in a bottle.

"What's this about?" Galvan yells as she's being patted down, her shoes and
socks stripped and her hair combed through.

"The more you struggle the more you'll get hurt, so just comply with the
orders," Carlos Vasquez responded.

Fifteen minutes later, the Houston Police Department's Explorers Unit 2461
notifies the dispatcher that they have completed their scenario and the drug
raid ends. Galvan gathers her belongings and exits the room with the
Explorers.

Similar scenarios went on last Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the Bay City
High School as part of the Bay City Law Enforcement Explorer Competition.

The competition brought 67 teams from various police departments and schools
from across the state and Mississippi to compete in the mock law enforcement
competition.

"It is a lot of fun. It is amazing how good they are," said Bay City Police
Sgt. Chris Crummett.

The teams are allowed to compete in 10 scenarios throughout the weekend and
at the end of the competition, awards are given out for first though third
places. This year, the Houston, Dallas and Galveston police Explorers took
the top team awards.

The scenarios range from misdemeanor traffic stops, pistol shooting and
building searches to hostage negotiations, drug raids and robberies in
progress.

Around the state, about 10 competitions are held every year. This was Bay
City's first competition in about four years, said Crummett, also the leader
of the Bay City Explorer Post 2226.

The Bay City post did not participate in the competition but volunteered
their time instead.

Crummett said the youths in his organization must be 14 years old and have
good moral standards. In addition to meeting once a week to train, the
students also volunteer around town.

"It is a positive influence," he said. "Some may have an interest in law
enforcement, some others may just want to do something other than getting in
trouble."

Other volunteers, such as Galvan from the Matagorda County Sheriff's Office
Citizens Academy, were on hand last weekend to act as the criminals and
judges for the competition.

Paul Leach, a 25-year veteran of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice's
parole division and an Explorers volunteer judge, said the judges give the
students feedback in hopes that they will gain knowledge from the
experience.

"We don't judge them harshly, but we hope in a real-life situation that they
won't let these mistakes happen. We hope they learn something," he said.
"They are the next generation for old people like me when we retire."