Cop car sports a different look for a cause
A Glendale Police vehicle was decorated in pink for Breast Cancer Awareness month, in front of the police station in Glendale on Tuesday, October 3, 2015. The police vehicle will be displayed throughout the month of October in Glendale.
Dozens of hand-written names were scribbled in black ink on a bright-pink police car parked outside the Glendale Police Station Tuesday morning.
They were names of breast cancer survivors, as well as of those who’ve lost their lives to the illness.
In recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month — a campaign to increase awareness of prevention and early detection — Glendale police turned one of their Ford Explorers pink.
The idea was the brainchild of Glendale Police spokeswoman Tahnee Lightfoot. For her, it’s personal.
In May, the 48-year-old was diagnosed with breast cancer after finding a lump during a self-breast exam. She’d conducted them regularly since last October, when she was heavily involved in the agency’s Army of Pink breast cancer awareness campaign, which taught her the importance of self exams.
“I never imagined that I would be diagnosed,” she said, adding that she eats healthy and exercises regularly. “This was quite a shock.”
Over the last several months, she’s undergone surgery and finished radiation therapy treatment.
The pink car was debuted on Saturday at the annual K-9s in the Park event at Verdugo Park, where it collected many of the signatures.
That’s where Glendale resident Veronica Corrales first saw it, and on Tuesday morning, she visited the station to sign the names of nine family members and friends affected by the disease, some of whom lost their lives.
“It’s very hard,” she said. “This is a wonderful event.”
Shortly after, Glendale Police Officer James Colvin signed the name of his wife’s aunt, who died a couple years ago from the illness.
“Hopefully it brings awareness to people to go get tested,” he said, donning a pink rubber bracelet around his wrist. Police are giving away those bracelets — which were purchased by the Glendale Police Foundation — at the front desk of the station.
The car will be on display at various locations, including the station and the Glendale Galleria, throughout the month.
To make an appointment to sign the vehicle, email Lightfoot at tlightfoot@glendaleca.gov.