GLENDALE : Kiwanis Club to Laud Police Officers

Lt. Don Meredith thought the sound was a gunshot.

But the popping noise he heard near a Glendale apartment building was actually a Molotov cocktail thrown at the Mariposa Street complex by a suspect who was quarreling with one of the residents.

The flaming makeshift device ignited nearby brush, and Meredith ran into the building to warn tenants. Firefighters later contained the fire with minimal damage to the small apartment complex.

Meredith will be one of 10 police officers honored for bravery, dedication and civic and professional achievements by Kiwanis Club members at the club’s second annual Police Appreciation Day next Friday.

About 200 Kiwanis members and city dignitaries are expected to attend the noon awards ceremony at the Verdugo Club, 400 W. Glenoaks Blvd.

Residents belonging to the six Glendale Kiwanis clubs created Police Appreciation Day last year to combat negative publicity about police officers that stemmed from the Rodney King beating trials.

“We’re trying to create a positive image of police by recognizing the good officers that are out there on the streets every day,” said Randy Karraker, president of the Jewel City Kiwanis.

Other officers being honored for capturing suspects who allegedly set the Mariposa Avenue fire are officers Daniel Hinojosa Todd Sorensen, Tracy Lowrey and Jeffrey Newton and Sgt. James Lowrey.

Others receiving awards are: Officer Curtiss Kakiki, for chasing suspects wanted in a liquor store robbery into Hollywood while they were shooting at him with semiautomatic rifles; Officer Kevin Hirano, for spotting suspects wanted in a Montrose robbery and pursuing them in a high-speed freeway chase; Officer Dominic Borrelli, who rescued an unconscious elderly woman from a burning apartment building; and Sgt. Terry Jones, who, while jogging on his lunch break, tackled a suspect who had just snatched a woman’s purse.