Greetings from the Los Angeles Police Department. The following is the monthly update for August 2001. I encourage you to continue to visit our Web site at www.lapdonline.org as it is updated and revised on a daily basis. NATIONAL NIGHT OUT National Night Out is an annual activity where law enforcement agencies, in partnership with the communities they serve, hold events designed to strengthen that agency’s tie with the community. This year, National Night Out is scheduled for August 7, 2001. For the 18th year, the Los Angeles Police Department will hold numerous activities and events across the City. These activities, including cookouts, block parties and station open houses, are coordinated with Neighborhood Watch groups, Community-Police Advisory Board members and volunteers. These events are opportunities for the police in the area to utilize their strategic linkage and communication plan to mobilize community resources. If you are interested in participating in National Night Out activities in your area, contact your local Los Angeles Community Police Station. OPERATIONS – SOUTH BUREAU TOWN HALL MEETING This Town Hall Meeting will bring people from the 77th Street, Southeast, Southwest and Harbor Areas together with local government to discuss community concerns. I will be in attendance along with the Commanding Officers from South Bureau Community Police Stations, and other police and City officials. This is the forum for community input and a vital component of the community/police partnership. The Town Hall Meeting will be held on Thursday, August 23, 2001 at 6:00 p.m. at University of Southern California’s Bovard Auditorium, 355 Trousdale Parkway, Los Angeles. Please join us. MEDAL OF VALOR CEREMONIES On Wednesday, September 5, 2001, at 11 a.m., the Los Angeles Police Department will present the Medal of Valor Awards, the Department’s highest honor, to Police Officer Mark Mireles of West Valley Area and Police Officer David Orozco of West Los Angeles Area. The Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce will host the 42nd Annual Medal of Valor Awards luncheon at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel located at 404 South Figueroa Street in downtown Los Angeles. Tickets for the luncheon may be purchased by contacting Jennifer Bayer at the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce at (213) 580-7585 or Dyan Holland at (213) 580-7524. The cost for this event is $70 per person for Chamber members and $85 for non-members. Additionally, tables of 10 may also be purchased. The Medal of Valor is awarded to officers who have distinguished themselves with acts of bravery or heroism beyond the normal demands of police service. To date, the Department has awarded 496 Medal of Valor awards. Both Officers Mireles and Orozco performed lifesaving rescues, risking their lives in service to others. These officers’ actions illustrate the type of situations any Los Angeles Police Officer may face in the day-to- day performance of their duties. LOS ANGELES POLICE FOUNDATION AND THE MARCH ON CRIME FUNDRAISING BRUNCH In July of 1998, my wife Bobbie and I, and a small group of leading business professionals and civic-minded leaders established the Los Angeles Police Foundation. The Los Angeles Police Foundation’s primary focus is to assist Los Angeles Police Department officers by providing funds for urgently needed special programs, projects and equipment not provided for in the City budget. Due to the nature of police work, funding requests often address serious societal problems and life threatening situations. The Foundation strives to create innovative methods to raise funds to support its goals. On Sunday, March 19, 2000, the Foundation held its first fundraiser, the March on Crime Brunch at the home of Mr. Ron Burkle of The Yucaipa Companies. The event was an overwhelming success, with gross donations of $738,975. At $250 a plate, this event raised funds to support urgently needed safety equipment, LAPD youth programs for at-risk kids, and many other programs and projects. The Board of Directors of the Los Angeles Police Foundation also presented the prestigious Crystal Angel Award to recognize LAPD police officers for bravery and community service. This year’s March on Crime Brunch will take place on Sunday, September 9, 2001, at the new Ahmanson Recruit Training Center. This event will feature static displays by LAPD specialized units, demonstrations from the SWAT Team, K-9 Unit, Bomb Squad and the presentation of the Crystal Angel Award. If your are interested in supporting the Los Angeles Police Foundation by attending the March on Crime Brunch, contact Officer Sara Faden, Public Affairs Unit at (213) 485-3281. AUGUST SAFETY INFORMATION– NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH PROGRAMS Neighborhood watch programs are the most effective means for keeping crime out of neighborhoods and it relies on the most reliable crime fighting tool ever invented…a good neighbor. The Los Angeles Police Department Neighborhood Watch Program unites the LAPD with numerous local organizations and residents in a community-wide effort to reduce residential crime. Neighborhood Watch is a crime prevention program enlisting the active participation of residents in cooperation with the LAPD, to reduce the incidence and fear of crime in their communities. The following are a few facts about a Neighborhood Watch Program: * Neighborhood Watch is a partnership between neighbors to assist the Police Department in the reduction and fear of crime. * Neighborhood Watch does not require frequent meetings. * Neighborhood Watch does not ask anyone to take personal risks to prevent crime. * LAPD personnel will attend your meetings to answer questions about crime issues and provide information about police procedures. An active Neighborhood Watch group can make changes through their local officials, such as improving street lighting, increasing police patrols and changing traffic flow patterns. The community has the primary responsibility for fighting crime. This can happen when neighbors in a community cooperate with each other to assist the Police Department by working with the Department, thereby creating a formidable crime fighting team. For additional information on how to create a Neighborhood Watch Program in your community, contact your local police station or, contact the Community Liaison/Crime Prevention Unit, at (213) 485-3134, or visit our Web site at www.lapdonline.org and open the “Building Safer Communities” icon and view the Neighborhood Watch circular. BERNARD C. PARKS Chief of Police