Are you ready to take the first step toward a future in law enforcement and leadership? Do you want to be part of something bigger and join the LASD Explorer program?
To sign up for future Academy classes, you must first register through an LASD Station or your local participating police agency. Are you ready to take the first step toward a future in law enforcement and leadership? Do you want to be part of something bigger? Join the LASD Explorer program!
To sign up for future Academy classes, you must first register through an LASD Station or your local participating police agency.
STARS Academy Class 114 – Week 16 (Saturday, May 23, 2026)
All Recruits Must Be Lined Up in their Class B Uniform including shoulder and chest patches.
This week is Class 114’s “Family Day.” This is the day to not only honor those who have stood in the shadows quietly supporting the recruits through the academy thus far, but to also show them what the recruits have been up to during this time and how they have grown.
Guests should be immediate family only! Only those who have had a direct role in supporting and observing the Recruits of Class 114 should attend. The ceremony will be in the gymnasium and space is very limited. Please be willing to give up your seat to elderly and/or disabled attendees especially if your party is a little on the large side.
One family member/designee will be chosen by each recruit to escort them into the gymnasium. Upon doing so, the family member will return to their seat. As such, small children and other family members not part of that component of the ceremony are asked to remain in the audience designated as for the guests. This designee is to locate their recruit, who will be waiting outside on the south side of the gymnasium just prior to the ceremony. Please do not be late.
Light refreshments will be provided at the rear of the gymnasium.
At the conclusion of the ceremony, please understand the recruits are expected to clean up the gymnasium prior to departing with family. Guest are reminded to please assist in this process by removing any trash they have at the conclusion of the event.
Recruits must be lined up on the sidewalk facing west outside the gate by the ATM no later than 6:45 a.m. (0645 Hours). This is located in the Southeast Parking Lot located at the corner of Colima Road and Telegraph Road (behind the library).
Parents may park within the parking lot (DO NOT PARK IN THE RED FIRE LANE) and are permitted to stand opposite the east/west access road facing the Recruits. You do not need to stand next to or otherwise accompany your recruit(s). If you do so OR PARK IN AN UNAUTHORIZED AREA, you will be asked to move/stand elsewhere.
IF YOU STOP AND/OR PARK IN A RED ZONE, YOU MAY BE CITED FOR PARKING IN A FIRE LANE 22500 CVC!!!! Please Do NOT do this! It sets a bad example, is illegal, and puts the recruits’ safety in jeopardy!
Parents/Guardians of recruits who require transportation to / from the Academy:
If unable to attend Family Day, please arrive to pick up your recruit(s) at the conclusion of the Academy at approximately 1230 – 1300 hours (12:30 – 1:00 p.m.)
Please Do Not Be Late!
Please Note:
Recruits are required to bring the following items:
- Assignments Due:
- See “Assignments” Section of website for further
- Water (Inside Green “Mountain Dew” Bottle) with last name, first name and Platoon Number. Labels shall be neatly printed in Upper case BLOCK Letters (Recruits are allowed / encouraged to bring more than one full water bottle with them though water is available on site).
- Writing Materials
- Red pen, black pen, #2 mechanical pencil, small “pocket sized notebook”) placed in the recruit’s right rear pants pocket
- Medications
- Prescribed or Over the counter (Recruits will provide medications to Sworn Staff during Inspection unless Staff approved to carry on their person)
- Over The Counter Medication: If Recruit is under the age of 18 years old, over the counter medication must be in original container. A signed note authorizing Academy Staff to dispense medication must accompany medication. In addition to a signature, please legibly print Recruits name, parent/guardian’s name, instructions when medication should be dispensed, and a phone number of the signing parent/guardian
- Prescribed Medication: If the Recruit is under the age of 18 years old, prescribed medication must be in the prescription bottle and bear the recruit’s name, medication name, dosage, and indicate a current prescription (Exception: Epinephrine Pens and Asthma Inhalers)
- Medication/Circumstances not indicated: Contact Deputy Beck
- Recruit Training Manual
- RTMs must accompany the recruit to the Academy and remain the property of the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department. Due to the end of the Academy drawing near, RTMs are to be returned at the start of Family Day.
For any questions, please contact:
Deputy Beck: rmbeck@lasd.org / 562-734-3084
Deputy Cordova: mlcordov@lasd.org / 323-422-0229
Sergeant Jimenez: eljimene@lasd.org
STARS EXPLORER TRAINING ACADEMY
THIS WEBSITE IS NOT FOR RECRUITMENT PURPOSES. IF YOU ARE SEEKING INFORMATION ABOUT THE LASD DEPUTY EXPLORER PROGRAM, AND HOW TO APPLY, THE INFORMATION IS CONTAINED ON THE RECRUITMENT WEBSITE: explorers.lasd.org
The Explorer Training Academy at the Sheriff’s Training Academy and Regional Services (STARS) Center is the primary training site for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Deputy Explorer program, and is a Learning For Life “Certified Law Enforcement Explorer Academy”. Because of our excellent reputation, high standards and comprehensive curriculum, several local police departments choose to send their explorer recruits to our academy as well. This explorer academy is 18 weeks in length and covers a myriad of law enforcement related subjects.
In addition to several law enforcement training subjects, the explorer academy curriculum also includes subjects geared toward building the recruit’s self-esteem, character development, self-confidence and exposure to valuable life skills, while holding each recruit accountable, without excuses, for their performance.
This website was specifically designed by Sergeant Roller and former LASD Explorer Brian Ho, in late 2010, at no expense to the Sheriff’s Department, to assist explorer academy recruits and enhance their individual effectiveness and organizational skills, while attending the STARS Explorer Training Academy. The website officially went on-line with the start of Explorer Academy Class 86 (February of 2011), and had over 350,000 viewings as of September of 2016.
Inside, academy recruits will find important information and announcements, weekly assignments, study tips, physical training tips, uniform specifications and other tools that they can use. This site will also enhance the contents of the Recruit Training Manual that all recruits are issued.
Explorer Post Advisors can download all of the required academy registration forms by accessing the “Academy Forms Library” link on the right side of this page. All required forms are in a PDF format for their convenience. Explorer Post Advisors & parents can also monitor their recruits’ academic progress by accessing the “Recruit Progress Reports” link on the right side of this page.
The STARS Explorer Academy training staff is available on Saturdays to every recruit who is in need of assistance while attending the explorer training academy.
STARS EXPLORER TRAINING ACADEMY ACTIVITIES
Academics are a major component of the explorer training academy at STARS. Each week, recruits are required to take a radio codes test and a spelling test. Additionally, recruits are required to take copious notes during all lectures and presentations, that have to be neatly re-written in an outline format and submitted weekly in a cumulative notebook. Each recruit is responsible for submitting a current event paper that covers any topic relating to law enforcement and a motivational “Word of the Week” definition each week. Each of these assignments are graded and count toward the recruit’s overall grade point average (GPA).
Using their weekly notebooks as a study guide, recruits are required to take a mid-term and a final written examination, covering the various lectures that they have received.
A minimum GPA of 70% must be achieved and maintained throughout the explorer academy training program.
Recruits are afforded the opportunity to make up tests that they miss, during their lunch period.
The training academy staff make themselves available to provide study and note taking tips to any recruit who is struggling with the academic portion of the academy program, during normal school hours on Saturday.
Recruits (Parents/Guardians/Post Advisors as well) are kept advised of their academic progress and grades by accessing the Recruit Progress Reports link on this website. Each recruit is assigned a randomly selected and confidential student identification number, which allows them to access their grade and assignment list, from any computer. Grades are updated before the end of the day, on Saturday.
Physical Training consists of approximately 25% of the explorer academy curriculum. Physical training is vital to maintaining a healthy lifestyle and preventing childhood obesity.
All recruits are required to participate in physical training, unless an illness or injury prevents them from doing so. The physical training component consists of stretching (flexibility), running (endurance), calisthenics, weight training (strengthening), obstacle courses (coordination) and defensive tactics exercises (self-confidence).
All recruits are required to participate in a minimum of two (2) of the scheduled three (3) PT 500 tests. The tests are given during the third week, at midterms and during finals. Because each young adult comes to the explorer training academy with a variety of physical abilities, the PT 500 scores do not count as part of the overall grade point average (GPA). Rather, the staff monitors the test scores and looks for individual improvement from one test to the next. Recruits are weighed during the PT 500 tests, to monitor weight loss and assist in goal-setting.
Defensive Tactics builds self-confidence and compliments the physical training component of the explorer training academy. Recruits are taught basic punching, striking, kicking and basic ground fighting techniques.
Recruits are issued protective grappling gloves prior to defensive tactics training classes, and are closely supervised throughout the exercises to prevent injury and insure proper technique.
The training does not include impact weapons, such as batons, because explorers are not permitted to carry weapons, and therefore the training would be unrealistic for them. Rather, each recruit is taught how to protect themselves against attack from another person, by means of personal weapons (hands, feet, arms), confrontation avoidance and awareness of their surroundings.
The feedback from graduating recruits, going back to explorer academy class 80, when defensive tactics was added to the curriculum, has been extremely favorable.
Firearms Safety & Familiarization training has been a component of the explorer training academy for several decades. Recruits receive a firearms safety and familiarization lecture from the weapons training staff at the Sheriff’s Department range. The recruits are then allowed to fire a Department issued handgun and shotgun.
Recruits generally fire four (4) rounds from a handgun and two (2) rounds from a shotgun, at a stationary paper target. A member of the weapons training staff is always in close and direct supervision of each recruit on the firing line.
Although encouraged to participate, no recruit is mandated to fire a gun during firearms training.
Drill is a means by which to move a group of individuals from one place to another, in an orderly fashion. Drill is also used as a tool to teach recruits impulse control, discipline and command presence.
Recruits learn basic drill, facing movements and marching from explorer training academy staff instructors.
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