Meet Cops on Their Turf

Before you have to invite a cop to your home, the Los Angeles Police Department’s Northeast Division would like to invite you to theirs on Sunday.

“It’s so people can get to know us on a more personal basis before they become victims or get arrested,” Community Relations Officer Tammy Chavez said of the open house scheduled from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The day is being geared for fun, with a Moonbounce for the kids and cotton candy, both for a nominal charge, and free hot dogs and punch. There will also be station tours and exhibits.

In addition to being the base for nearly 200 police officers, Northeast is the headquarters for the LAPD’s Bomb Squad and Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program. Both will have displays in the station’s back parking lot, as will the station’s Youth Athletic League, which will demonstrate boxing.

Guests from outside the station include the LAPD Historical Society Mobile Museum and a police helicopter.

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Members of the department’s mounted division will also be on hand. Chavez said the unit is mostly for crowd control because an officer on horseback is highly visible and can go places, such as crowded sidewalks, where police cars can’t.

The California Highway Patrol is bringing a seat belt safety simulator.

“It looks like a ride,” said Chavez, but not one you will want to take. Using dummies, it shows what can happen to people in a car crash when they are not wearing seat belts.

Admission to the open house, at 3353 San Fernando Road, is free. The Moonbounce is 50 cents for 10 minutes, and cotton candy is 50 cents to cover equipment costs.