Two dozen San Francisco teenagers are getting a glimpse of what it takes to be a police officer this summer through a new Police Activities League program intended to create a pipeline from the local streets into city law enforcement.
The organization has served 5,000 city youth a year for 51 years, mostly through sports and community activities. Now Police Department and PAL officials want to expand the program to align it with Chief George Gascón's community policing efforts, said PAL leader Lorraine Woodruff-Long.
There's a greater emphasis on a "grow-your-own" approach to San Francisco's future police force, with renewed support for the youth program from police leadership and neighborhood stations, she said.
Not that the organization hasn't served as an avenue for youth to become police officers in the past.
Police Capt. David Lazarcredited the PAL program for his 19-year-and-counting career in the department. "I would not be where I am today if it not had been for my experience in high school participating in the program," he said. But "it's a great program that for many years hasn't been in the spotlight."
That, he said, has changed.
Cadets are participating in the program's first mini-police academy, enduring the same grueling training exercises police recruits experience.
Next, an internship
When the four-week academy is over at the end of this month, the 25 PAL cadets, ranging in age from 14 to 19, will be assigned to a yearlong internship with either the Bayview or Ingleside stations – giving them behind-the-scenes exposure to life as a cop.
But for now, the teens are running through the rigors of police procedures – including traffic stops and canine searches – memorizing radio codes and learning the ins and outs of ethical conduct.
Cadet Akwame Muhammad, 18, who just finished his second week in the program, loved the canine searches in cars and interaction with the SWAT officers.
Muhammad, a recent Ida B. Wells High School graduate, also learned that report writing is a "major, major part of the job."
"That's the only boring part, but it's part of the job," he said.
The course also includes hours of physical training with push-ups, jumping jacks and running, said cadet Hannah Korn, 18.
The pain is worth it, the recent Lick Wilmerding High School graduate said.
"I'm interested in a career helping people," she said. "That's what I really love to do."
There is no gun training, but the students are otherwise held to the same standards as police recruits, giving them a leg up if they decide to pursue a law enforcement career.
"My goal is for them, if they want to be police officers, is to really grasp what we do," said Officer Amanda Kabanuck, who is working with the cadets this summer and will coordinate the post-academy internships at the Ingleside Station.
That means "no tolerance for any kind of attitude or picking on each other," she said.
And it means push-ups for any offenses.
In the process, the teens learn the value of honesty, integrity and leadership, she said.
The cadets honed those qualities on the top of San Bruno Mountain on their fifth day of the summer academy when they tackled the same ropes course real recruits face at the end of their first week.
Combining weight, physics
A group of the cadets tackled the task of crossing a 9-foot gap between two foot-high platforms using up to three wood planks – none long enough to bridge the gap. Neither planks nor feet could touch the ground.
Eventually, the cadets made it across one by one as they secured the planks using their combined weight and a little physics. Later, they discussed how they succeeded: Trust. Eye contact. Teamwork, the teens said.
As the group moved on to the ropes course, cadet Vanessa Rosales, 17, said she was a bit scared because she's afraid of heights.
But the Mercy High School student said she never thought about giving up, adding she wants to be a San Francisco police officer.
"I want to be more disciplined," she said and then smiled. "And I love risk."
The Police Activities League For more information about the program, go to www.sfpal.org.
"My goal is for them, if they want to be police officers, is to really grasp what we do."
