Chatsworth : Church Event Will Honor Police Officers
A Chatsworth church will devote its Sunday service to thanking the men and women of law enforcement, a public event designed to show San Fernando Valley residents that cops are people too.
“We just want to honor them all for what they do for the community,” said Dino Gentile, pastor of The Ark, a Christian church that recently relocated to Chatsworth from Reseda.
Gentile said the idea is to remind people that despite the criticisms of the Los Angeles Police Department that emerged after the Rodney King beating and the O.J. Simpson double-murder trial, the majority of police officers are decent and honest.
“The misperception is that everybody who has a traffic violation is going to be mistreated,” he said.
Gentile said that he has invited officers and their families from the LAPD’s Devonshire and West Valley divisions and the California Highway Patrol to attend the appreciation event.
“We want them to know that we still believe in them,” he said, adding that he hopes to attract as many as 100 members of the public.
The event will begin at 10 a.m. Sunday at the church, 9823 Mason Ave. A free meal will be served to everyone who attends. For more information, call (818) 886-6135.
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