With safety protocols in place, it was a pleasure to once again honor our twice-a-citizens in September.
While in 2020 the beautiful Skirball, like most of the city, had to be silent, the Reserve Corps remained on the job. Brave and dedicated: there is no better description for the Corps. Congratulations to our two Department Reserve Officers of the Year, Eileen Lomis and Paul Strauss!
We are grateful to our community honorees: Steve Soboroff, philanthropist and Los Angeles Police Commissioner, and Shemar Moore, producer and star of the CBS TV series S.W.A.T. Thank you for your commitment to the city we all love. Thank you to Chief of Police Michel Moore, Mark Thompson and Bill Ahmanson for co-hosting the evening, along with special guest Joe Mantegna.
Circumstances remain challenging, but the Los Angeles Police Reserve Foundation stays hard at work. We added a Tourniquet Initiative, Sam Browne–belt worn tourniquets supplied to our reserves that could be the difference between life and death. The initial rollout went to officers working the field and in high-risk details. Thank you to Officer Mel Kennedy for managing the distribution. The BDU Grant Initiative reimbursed 78 officers, providing the wash-and-wear utility uniform during the pandemic. Several of our other initiatives, like our Legal Defense Plan Reimbursement and Scholarship, are needed more than ever!
More exciting news: A Reserve Exceptional Service ribbon, which can be worn by divisional reserve officers of the year, was approved by the Department’s Uniform Committee. It was so wonderful to hand out these ribbons for the first time.
Thank you to Chief Moore, Assistant Chief Beatrice Girmala, director of the Office of Operations, and Commander Billy Brockway, the Department reserve coordinator, for their leadership. Thank you, Police Commission President William J. Briggs II, for helping us recognize the LAPD Reserve Corps. Thank you to the entire command staff and the Reserve Unit for their continued support of the reserve program. Thank you, Officers Johnny Gil and Rosheen Rosenblum, for your continued dedication, and the reserve coordinators for everything you do for the Corps. On behalf of our Board of Directors, we wish you and your family the merriest and safest of holidays. Thank you for your service and be safe.