LAPD Officers To Be Honored For Commitment To Community

WHO:
Los Angeles Police Chief William J. Bratton
Master of Ceremonies Dennis Franz
Honoree Rick Caruso, CEO of Caruso Affiliated Holdings
Crystal Angel Award Recipients
Elected Officials and Community Leaders

WHAT:
The Foundation’s Crystal Angel Awards will be presented to LAPD Officers and Rick Caruso, honoring their exemplary contributions in community service.

WHEN:
Sunday
October 12, 2003 11:30 am
Reception and viewing of static displays 1:15 – 2:00 p.m., remarks and ceremony

WHERE:
Elysian Park Police Academy
1880 North Academy Drive
Los Angeles

Los Angeles- The Los Angeles Police Foundation will honor three of the Department’s finest for their exemplary service to the community at its annual benefit brunch and awards ceremony. Police Chief William J. Bratton, television star Dennis Franz, and more than 500 community leaders and elected officials will gather at this event to recognize the outstanding accomplishments of these individuals and the Los Angeles Police Foundation.

Actor Dennis Franz, star of “NYPD Blue,” will serve as Master of Ceremonies and Chief Bratton will present the Crystal Angel Awards to the 2003 honorees. Detective Bob Lopez of the Northeast Area, Officer Rebecca Reyes of the West Traffic division, and Senior Lead Officer Philip Thompson of the Southeast Area will receive Crystal Angel Awards for Community Service.

Honoree Rick Caruso was appointed to the Los Angeles Police Commission for a five-year term in August 2001 by Mayor James Hahn. At that time, he was elected President of the Commission and was re-elected to that post in 2002. He led the Commission in the hiring of Chief William J. Bratton, has been a leader in compliance with the federal consent decree, and has been a tireless supporter of the Los Angeles Police Foundation.

“The Los Angeles Police Department and the people of Los Angeles have a great deal to be proud of in the four individuals being honored here today,” said Chief Bratton. “The examples set by Detective Lopez, Officer Reyes and Senior Lead Officer Thompson, as well as Rick Caruso, provide a wonderful example of what we can accomplish as a community when we work together.”
In 1998, a small group of leading business, professional and civic-minded leaders from all walks of life established the non-profit Los Angeles Police Foundation to fund urgently needed police programs and safety equipment not covered by the City budget.

In its short lifespan, the Foundation has purchased and distributed Law Enforcement Trauma Shooting Kits to every police officer on the Department. Prior to receiving these kits, officers in the field lacked basic first-aid supplies, sometimes forcing them to use their shirts to bind their own or partner’s gunshot wounds. The Foundation has also provided 14 bomb blankets to ensure the safety of bomb squad technicians during threat situations, Kid-Safe Bio ID Systems for the Crime Prevention Unit that will allow Area Community Relations Officers to fingerprint and photograph children and senior citizens at community events and “Hot Dog” temperature monitors for K-9 vehicles.

Since its inception in 1998, the Foundation has given more than $1,573,811 in grants to LAPD as well as scholarships to students preparing for careers in law enforcement. Since last year’s March on Crime, the Foundation funded a Strategic Plan for re-engineering the department valued at $876,705, working with internationally qualified consultants with the goal of making Los Angeles the safest big city in America. The Foundation also purchased and distributed $23,100 worth of radio cell phones for the Counter Terrorism Bureau, $26,403 worth of computers, monitors and equipment for the LAPD Online website – the most visited law enforcement site in the world, $9,951 in educational materials and supplies for the Central Traffic Division to provide traffic safety materials for use in schools, and numerous other grants. Today’s event raised over $300,000 for the Foundation.

This event will also include interactive displays of the LAPD programs that have benefited from the Foundation’s efforts such as demonstrations by SWAT, K-9 and the Bomb Squad. A live Charity Auction will be held.

For more information on this event, please visit the worldwide web at www.lapdonline.org. For further information, contact Roberta Silverman, Rogers & Associates at 310-552-6922 x 133. On weekends and event day, please call 818-207-1363.

This media advisory was prepared by Public Information Officer Adriana N. Sanchez, Media Relations Section, 213-485-3586.