CADETS BRING EXPERIENCES TO ACADEMY; CADETS TAKE ON ACADEMY'S CHALLENGES.

Byline: Paul O'Donoghue Staff Writer

CAMARILLO - When he was in his early 20s, Rick Santor applied for the Sheriff's Department Training Academy, but eventually decided to continue working in construction.

And even after he got his contractor's license, formed his own business and started a family, Santor never lost his desire to be a deputy.

Now 42, and with children in high school, Santor has finally entered the academy, pursuing a new chapter in his life at a time when most people are long settled into their careers.

``It was a dream that I started out 20 years ago,'' said Santor, of Simi Valley.

``It's just the discipline and challenge I like about it. I've had a business for 18 years. And then the opportunity arose again. I talked to some friends who are deputies, and I expressed that it was something that I should have stayed with and they said, you could still do it.''

Less restrictive entry requirements lure a wider variety of applicants to the Ventura County training academy than to other agencies' facilities.

There is a minimum age requirement - 19 - but no maximum cap, and no specific limits on height and weight. Applicants do, however, have to pass a timed agility test - pulling a 165-pound bag 20 feet, scaling 6-foot- high fences and running a quarter-mile.

And like those in other academies, Ventura County's cadets must meet educational requirements and pass interviews, polygraph and background checks and medical and psychological exams, officials said.

Far from being a detriment, candidates who are older than the average trainee's age of 26 usually bring life experience to the job, said Capt. Linda Oksner, commander of the facility.

``I think they bring maturity. Their ability to use their private life experiences on the job helps them to deal with problem-solving and being able to relate to some of the human concerns - the emotional aspect of the job,'' she said.

``They are good role models in the academy,'' she said.

Evie Walker, 26, holds a bachelor's degree in counseling and psychology and worked in an office for several years. But the Simi Valley resident wanted a career that combined a unique set of elements - integrity, discipline, teamwork and working in the community.

A friend who is a longtime Ventura County deputy sheriff encouraged her to apply to the department.

``It actually took me by shock. The more I thought about it, the more I realized it covers all the gamut that I wanted to cover: helping people and working with people,'' Walker said.

``It meets all of the things that I wanted to do in my life. I think that I've chosen a good career.''

Walker is 4 feet, 10 inches - the shortest cadet in this class of 43 - but neither the Simi Valley resident nor her commanding officers see her height as a hindrance.

``She's tough as nails,'' Oksner said of Walker. ``She's able to run all the obstacle courses within the time limit. She's mentally tough and covers every run with her colleagues with no difficulty. I am very confident she'll be able to handle every encounter she runs into.

``She has a good head on her shoulders and has demonstrated to us she's got sound judgment and excellent communication skills,'' Oksner said.

Walker said she believes that communication, teamwork and the physical skills she's learning will allow her to perform her job as well as her taller colleagues.

``You always have to realize that there's always someone bigger than you no matter if you're 4-foot-10 or 10-foot-4,'' Walker said.

``In my own case, I know that I'll come across definite situations where I won't want to go into without the support of my fellow teammates,'' she said. ``You always have backup - that's the teamwork they encourage here.''

The single-story, county-owned complex abutting Camarillo Airport has top-notch facilities, including a firearms training simulator, video production room, driving skills course and an outdoor firing range. Taxpayers pay $708,000 a year to operate the facility and pay the salaries of its five sworn officers and two civilian support staff.

Walker, Santor and another 42-year-old, former truck driver Rick Cochrane from Thousand Oaks, all said they found the academy hard going, but have gotten a new sense of confidence and a new lease on life.

While there's no guarantee they'll make it to graduation Jan. 21, they were quietly confident, they said, that they'll fulfill the dream they've harbored for years.

``I tell my children, you're never too old, you don't put limits on your life and what you can do,'' Santor said.

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2 photos

Photo: (1 -- 2) Above, Evie Walker, Rick Cochrane, center, and Rick Santor are cadets at the Ventura County Sheriff's Department Training Academy in Camarillo. At left, Evie Walker, 26, came to the training academy after obtaining a bachelor's degree in counseling and psychology.

Joe Binoya/Special to the Daily News