6 LAPD Officers Get a Pleasant Surprise

In a surprise ceremony, six San Fernando Valley LAPD officers were honored Tuesday by the Latin American Civic Assn. in recognition of their efforts to improve relations between police and the Latino community.

The officers believed they were attending a regular monthly meeting of the Spanish Language Outreach Committee at the association’s San Fernando offices. Upon arriving, however, they discovered a large crowd assembled to present them with plaques in appreciation of their service to the Latino community.

All six officers serve on the committee, which was established in the wake of the police beating of Rodney King in 1991 to address tension between Valley Latino residents and the LAPD.

“There is a lot of alienation between the police and our young people. Both sides have sort of stereotyped each other,” said Irene Tovar, executive director of the association, a 30-year-old agency that oversees a variety of social service programs in the Valley.

“These officers are the ones breaking down those barriers, and we wanted to recognize them for the good things they are doing and encourage them, and others, to continue,” Tovar said.

Deputy Chief Martin Pomeroy of the San Fernando Valley bureau, chairman of the Spanish Language Outreach committee, was honored along with Van Nuys Division Senior Lead Officer George Flores, who has worked closely with residents of Blythe Street.

Three officers from the West Valley Division: Capt. Val Paniccia, and Officers Joel Flores and George Aguilar, were recognized for their work with Project Amigo, a program that helps Spanish-speaking residents to understand the legal system and identify community resources in their areas.

The sixth honoree was Officer Ruben Lopez of the Devonshire Division, who according to Tovar “has shown incredible commitment to helping Latino families in the Valley.”

“It’s very nice to receive something like this, it was really a complete surprise,” said George Flores. “By building relationships with the community it helps us to do our job better. We need to have a joint effort with the community to solve problems. That’s starting to happen.”