Westside : Officers Get Thanks From Residents on Appreciation Day

Westside residents and civic leaders turned out in force Wednesday to show support for West Los Angeles police officers on “Police Appreciation Day.”

The 200-plus officers and support staffers in the Police Department’s West Los Angeles Division were treated to breakfast and lunch by the West Los Angeles Community Police Advisory Board, a volunteer citizens committee working in support of community policing.

“This is to say thank you and boost their morale,” said board member Nicole Segal, standing behind tables laden with food.

Also on hand to express appreciation of the officers were Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan, Police Chief Willie L. Williams, City Council members Ruth Galanter and Mike Feuer, Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Gil Garcetti, Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Los Angeles) and Assemblyman Wally Knox (D-Los Angeles).

“We have the best Police Department in the world, and they have received some very harsh criticism lately,” Riordan said. “We all have to tell them how much we respect and love them.”

Segal said she and other advisory board members were committed to volunteering in the department, in hopes that more officers can be deployed on the streets of West Los Angeles. The division, which covers about 64 square miles, received seven new patrol officers this year, Capt. Robert Kurth said.

“The bottom line is we have a choice,” Segal said. “We either move away or we turn this city around and make it a safe, nice place.” . . .