Chief Charlie Beck Awards the First Ever Purple Heart Medal to 82 LAPD Officers NA11207SF

WHAT:          
Purple Heart Award Ceremony

WHEN:              
Thursday, September 15, 2011
8:30 a.m.

WHERE:        
JW Marriott’s Platinum Ballroom at L.A. LIVE
900 W. Olympic Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90015

WHO:              
Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa
Members of the Los Angeles City Council
Los Angeles City Attorney Carmen Trutanch        
Los Angeles City Controller Wendy Greuel
Los Angeles Police Commissioners
Cecilia Glassman, Executive Director Los Angeles Police Foundation                        
Actress Tamlyn Tomita, Purple Heart Awards Mistress of Ceremonies
Family members of fallen officers
WHY:        
To honor 82 Los Angeles Police Officers whose actions made them heroes, but also resulted in significant personal sacrifice that resulted in traumatic injury or their untimely death.  The ceremony is expected to be attended by more than 1,000 people.  A total of 72 incidents of bravery that occurred over a 90-year period dating back to 1921 will be highlighted.
        
Included in the honorees are Detective Arleigh McCree and Officer Ronald Ball who sacrificed their lives to save fellow officers while attempting to diffuse a bomb; Officer Tina Kerbrat, the first female police officer who was killed in 1992; and Officer Randy  Simmons, the first LAPD SWAT Officer killed in the line of duty in 2008.

ADDITIONAL:
The Purple Heart Award Ceremony is hosted by the Los Angeles Police Foundation. Founded in 1998, the Foundation has been the major source of private financial support for the LAPD by creating partnerships that offer resources not provided in the city budget.These resources enable the LAPD to serve at their highest level by providing equipment,  training and programs that prevent crime, save lives and make our city a better and safer place to live. To date, the Police Foundation has awarded more than $14 million in grants to the LAPD. To learn more about the Los Angeles Police Foundation, please visit: www.lapolicefoundation.org.
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CONTACT:   
For more information, please contact Media Relations Section at 213-486-5910.