-Caveat Lector- Explorer program aids Border Patrol Agent says posts teach responsibility, aren't used to fill recruiting quotas 11/20/2000 Associated Press HOUSTON A program affiliated with the Boy Scouts that teaches teenagers how to handle weapons and hostage situations is proving to be a boon for the Border Patrol, which is struggling to recruit 1,000 new agents a year. There are nine Explorer Scout posts along the Texas-Mexico border sponsored by the Border Patrol. In all, the Boy Scouts have established 20 law enforcement Explorer posts in the five southernmost Texas counties. Agents like Cruz J. Rodriguez, chief patrol agent at the 180-officer Border Patrol station in Port Isabel, volunteer to help run the posts. He said the posts are intended to teach teens responsibility and decision-making skills and are not meant to bolster the agency's recruiting quotas. "It was intended as a way for the Border Patrol to get involved with the youth of the community, and as it evolved through the years, a lot of the kids show an interest in applying for the Border Patrol, so it's a win-win situation," Agent Rodriguez said in Sunday's editions of the Houston Chronicle. Scouting officials said as many as 400 high school students have joined Explorer posts in the region. The teens receive basic training on how to make traffic stops and arrests, execute search warrants, lift fingerprints and investigate crime scenes. Many Explorers also receive supervised firearm instruction with weapons provided by their sponsors. "It's something that intrigues a lot of kids who may, or may not, see college as part of their future," said Steve Gerber, director of the Rio Grande Council of the Boy Scouts of America. "There is so much law enforcement in the Valley, both state and federal, that it's very visible and for the most part presents a positive image in the community." Agent Eddie Buyo said the program offers youths a possible career path. "There's not a lot of industry down here as far as big corporations," he said. "So law enforcement, to them, is one of the biggest employers, one of the better paying jobs, one of the most respected jobs." To qualify for work at the Border Patrol, candidates must be at least 18 with one year of experience, or be a college graduate. Recruits earn a base salary of $28,400 during a 20-week training academy, and the pay is raised once they are assigned to a station. Marcos Carreon, 17, said it was the lawman image that attracted him to the program. "I'm interested in enforcement because, like, you look tough with your gun and everything, like your uniform," the 11th-grader said. "Right now I'm learning the basics. So, that way, when I go to college, I will already have learned what it takes to be in the Border Patrol." / <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html <A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html">Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/">ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
