First Cadet Academy For Unincorporated Communities Become Reality

Nearly three dozen students marched around the Lake Cahuilla shooting range on Thursday. It was the third day of their Cadet Academy.

They sat with their ears covered, as members of the Special Enforcement Bureau riddled their targets with bullets. The cadets even viewed through a rifle scope.

Cadet academies are nothing new to east valley students, but this is the first one for those living in the unincorporated communities of Mecca, Thermal and Oasis. Several community leaders asked the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department to organize it.

“Teach them about hard work and discipline and, of course, gangs and drugs go along with that,” said academy coordinator Sgt. Jeronimo Contreras, “but it’s more important teaching kids about being part of something.”

The cadets witnessed a K-9 demonstration, and earlier in the week, met a bomb technician, a forensics supervisor, and the Coachella Valley Gang Task Force.

On Friday, the cadets will tour the Larson Justice Center.

A state grant partially funded the academy. The rest paid for by the Sheriff’s Department and the Southern Coachella Valley Community Services District. The cadets received instructional materials and uniforms for free.

This may be the first cadet academy for the east valley’s unincorporated communities, but it’s making a good first impression.

“It’s giving me another look at what’s my future,” said Jose Alvarado, of Mecca.