That's true as far as it goes. And because of their lofty reputations, two groups of fifth grade students in El Paso have borrowed their names as inspiration for school mentoring programs. Not surprisingly, their mentors are also in law enforcement: they're the men and women of the El Paso Special Agent-in-Charge (SAIC) office.

For several years, special agents have devoted countless hours to El Paso's Partners in Education program, a mentoring project similar to adopt-a-school programs in other locales. While the adults who participate in these programs are no doubt dedicated to the task, El Paso's SAIC agents are dedicated.

This is due in large part to the El Paso SAIC himself, John C. Kelley Jr., who puts his talk and his values into action. Kelley firmly believes that educating children about drugs is a critical deterrent to the nation's drug problem. "These kids need to know early about the harm drugs cause, and it is part of our responsibility to share this information with them," he says.

Photo Credit: Joe Segovia

Junior special agents ham it up with El Paso SAIC John C. Kelley, Jr.

Kelley believes this kind of information should be imparted in elementary school, so his special agents have concentrated their efforts at Douglass Elementary School, home to the fifth-grade Untouchables, and Paul C. Moreno Elementary School, home to the fifth-grade Texas Rangers. This year, both groups of students met regularly with Customs agents for a variety of anti-drug, anti-crime, and anti-violence educational projects.

The almost 90 students in the Untouchable program chose their name because they have pledged to live a life untouched by drugs or violence. Customs agents in El Paso have mentored Douglass students for seven years, but the Moreno school was adopted just this year. Moreno's 100 Texas Rangers chose their name because they have pledged to be as tough in staying away from drugs as the original Texas Rangers were in fulfilling their responsibilities.

Students who participate in the program take a pledge to avoid using drugs, to be good citizens, to live by a moral code, and to avoid violence. They get homework assignments based on their classroom activities.

The Partners in Education program requires its mentors - in this case, Customs agents, inspectors, and canine officers - to give monthly presentations. Customs mentors use their time to discuss the kinds of crimes that Customs investigates, like drug and currency smuggling, money laundering, fraud, and counterfeit violations.

The El Paso SAIC office has really gone the distance to mentor "their" kids and to add a little learning under the guise of recreation. Teaching students about the mission of U.S. Customs, for example, is a good time to slip in some world geography as the students learn about our foreign attaché offices and a little something about the countries in which they are located.

Along with teaching about Customs unique role in the war on drugs, the mentors also give lessons in firearm safety. And the students hold a mock trial to return a verdict on "culprits" whom Customs inspectors have caught with narcotics and hidden currency. Students assume various roles at the trial including jurors, defendants, and Customs inspectors and special agents.

As you might expect from a gracious host, the SAIC office arranges a tour every year of the Customs Air Unit in El Paso so students can see, up close and personal, the aircraft that help combat drug smuggling. And junior special agents, as the Untouchables and Texas Rangers are also called, spend time with Customs drug dogs that work the local ports of entry to learn how the dogs are trained to find narcotics.

At Thanksgiving, the Partners in Education program coordinators and other special agents sponsor an essay contest open to all students and all grade levels. One winner is selected from each grade, at each school, and each winner gets a frozen turkey. At Christmas, the special agents join the Marines in their Toys for Tots drive and give Christmas gifts to the children who participate in the program.

Not surprisingly, the El Paso SAIC office is quite pleased with its performance in the mentor role, and not without reason. The El Paso Independent School District is pleased as well: School district officials have recognized the SAIC office on several occasions for its continued commitment to school-age children.

Says Kelley, "This investment in El Paso's youth will have a positive impact on the lives of these young people." So far, he seems to be right: the mentoring projects have so impressed the students that the majority of the junior special agents have said that they want to be special agents, inspectors, or canine officers when they grow up.