The Reserve Officer of the Year/Twice A Citizen gala was again held in the spring, on May 7. It was a pleasure to once again honor you, our brave and dedicated Los Angeles Police reserve officers. Congratulations to the Department Reserve Officer of the Year, Bernard Khalili, the Bureau honorees and all of the Area/Division honorees.
Thank you, Chief of Police Michel Moore, for your continued support and commitment to the reserve program and for co-hosting the gala’s festivities, along with reserve police officer and community leader Bill Ahmanson and comedian/actor Kevin Farley.
The Los Angeles Police Reserve Foundation continues to serve those who serve with our ongoing initiatives, including training and equipment (recently, the BDU and Tourniquet initiatives), recruitment, scholarships, reimbursement of the Los Angeles Police Protective League’s Legal Defense Plan, financial hardship/bereavement, and of course, the sponsorship of our annual gala.
As we’ve said, we could not do any of this without our supporters. We are truly grateful to our community honorees this year: Wendy Garen, philanthropist and community leader, and Joe Mantegna, actor, producer and humanitarian. Thank you both for your commitment to our City of Angels. Also in attendance was former California Governor Pete Wilson and his wife, Gayle.
We were grateful to be able to honor retired Assistant Chief Beatrice Girmala with the Andrea Friedman Award, which to date, has only been presented four times for going above and beyond with leadership and support of the Reserve Corps.
Thank you, Deputy Chief Blake Chow, commanding officer of LAPD Operations-West Bureau, for utilizing reserve officers in a proactive capacity. Also, thank you, Commander Billy Brockway (the Department reserve coordinator) and the entire command staff for your leadership. Thank you to the reserve unit downtown and reserve coordinators Department-wide for your continued support of our reserve officers.
On behalf of our Board of Directors, we thank you and your families for everything you continue to give. Be safe.