Olivio Cicero, a volunteer with the Morongo Basin Station’s Explorer Post, was honored with the Dominic Vaca Scholarship by the Latino Peace Officers Association at their Officer Down Memorial Scholarship Award ceremony on Saturday (August 3).
Cicero has been a loyal member of the Morongo Basin Station’s Explorer Post program since April of 2019 and continued with the program through the pandemic. He also helped resurrect the volunteer post as the pandemic restrictions eased.
Cicero was promoted to the rank of Explorer Sergeant on June 25, 2024, and continues to be a leader for his fellow explorers.
The scholarship will help Cicero continue his higher education at Northern Arizona University, where he is pursuing a bachelor’s degree with a double major in Sociology and Criminology/Criminal Justice.
Morongo Basin Station Captain Robert Warrick called Cicero a “strong advocate” for the Explorer Post program, which educates and mentors young people with an interest in law enforcement careers and provides them with first-hand experience.
Sgt. Dominic Vaca, the namesake of the scholarship, was a Sergeant assigned to the Morongo Basin Station who was shot and killed during a pursuit in Yucca Valley on Memorial Day 2021.
Captain Warrick said, “We are proud he (Olivio Cicero) was chosen to receive a scholarship in Sergeant Vaca’s honor.”
Learn more about the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Explorer Program
