PROVO — Kamille Bird walked into the apartment building and saw bullet casings near a chalk outline of a body on the floor.

Bird, 17, looked at every detail in the room, searching for clues about what happened.

There was a half-eaten sandwich on the table and a trail of blood leading out of the room. She taped off the area and started interviewing witnesses.

The crime scene wasn't real; the "blood" was actually ketchup, and the witnesses were only role playing. The scene was staged to allow Bird and other youths to experience a crime-scene investigator's job.

The mock crime scene was set up through the Provo Police Department's Exploring program, aimed at teaching young adults about areas of law enforcement.

The program is part of Learning for Life, a career-education opportunity for boys and girls ages 14 to 20. The national program, which is affiliated with the Boy Scouts of America, exposes youths to various careers such as aviation, business, engineering and law enforcement.

"Since 1971, Exploring has offered participants a well-rounded and exciting program centered on career opportunities that positively impact the lives of our youth and ultimately the communities they choose to serve," said John Anthony, national director of Learning for Life.

Anthony took part in the Exploring program as a youth and said it was an invaluable experience. Today, there are approximately 145,000 participants nationwide and more than 400 in Utah, he said.

Before Exploring, Bird had thought about becoming a plastic surgeon, but now she wants to work with police as a victim advocate.

Justin Edwards, 19, also participates in Exploring through the Provo Police Department. The Mapleton resident plans to enroll in a police academy sometime next year.

Edwards wanted to go into police work before Exploring, but he now knows he wants to do mountain bike policing.

"I now have more knowledge about what I'll be facing," he said.

Any organization or business can sponsor an Exploring program, said John Gailey, marketing director for Boy Scouts of America in Utah County.

Sponsoring organizations, called posts, have advisers and regular meeting times, either monthly or weekly, when participants learn about situations faced by workers in various careers, Gailey said.

Last week, Bird and 10 other members of her Exploring group competed against 32 other posts from all over the nation at a law-enforcement challenge in Las Vegas. Each post was judged on how it responded to staged scenarios such as a crime-scene mock-up, an active shooter at a high school or a motorist who ran a stoplight.