Real Life '21 Jump Street' Cop Busts California Students For Drugs EXETER, Calif. - A rookie California cop is back in uniform after getting national attention for his first big case -- working undercover for eight months as a high school senior. Exeter Police Officer Alex Salinas bought drugs from a dozen classmates before Chief Cliff Bush decided to end the ruse as end-of-year testing began. The chief was shocked at the attention the arrests drew until he learned days later the busts had been an accidental case of life imitating art. They coincided with the debut of the movie "21 Jump Street," in which undercover cops fight crime in a school. Salinas said students were shocked when he showed up on campus in his uniform instead of a T-shirt and sneakers. The baby-faced 22-year-old wears braces, which helped him look the part.