GARDEN GROVE : Festival Funds Aid Community Projects

Strawberry Festival Assn. officials have donated $35,000 to the city for the purchase of video cameras for three police cars and for other equipment.

The money came from profits from last year’s Strawberry Festival, which attracted about 250,000 over the Memorial Day Weekend, officials said.

In addition, the funds will be used to purchase a “Jaws of Life” hydraulic tool, which helps free victims trapped in wreckage, and for a mobile unit used to remove graffiti.

Earlier, festival officials contributed nearly $100,000 for a number of community projects, including the purchase of two dentist chairs for the Assistance League, which treats children of needy families.

Festival President Connie Margolin said that last month’s slaying of Police Officer Howard E. Dallies Jr. helped provide the impetus to donate the funds for the purchase of the video cameras.

“They (police officers) ensure our safety, so why shouldn’t we ensure theirs if we can?” Margolin said.

Mayor Frank Kessler, the city’s police chief from 1978 to 1986, said the video cameras serve as a safety factor for officers. “In case something happens, we’ve got it recorded,” he said.

Just two of Garden Grove’s 35 patrol cars are outfitted with video cameras, and they are used for training purposes, Capt. David Abrecht said.

Abrecht said that video cameras may not be a crime deterrent. But if one had been available and operating when Dallies was gunned down, “we would have lots of information that we’re only guessing about,” he said.

Abrecht said investigators are pursuing leads in the shooting of Dallies but added that an arrest does not appear to be imminent.

Meanwhile, a billboard advertising a $25,000 reward for information about the Dallies killing went up Thursday near Westminster Avenue and Newhope Street. It lists a toll-free number for anyone with information about the killing to call: (800) 404-4888.

Patrick Media Group Inc. donated the billboard space for two months, a company spokesman said.