The mission of the Los Angeles Police Reserve Foundation (LAPRF) has been to serve those who serve: our LAPD Reserve Corps. Over the years, our Board of Directors has funded initiatives, both ongoing and singular or temporary, to support our reserve police officers, who are held to the same training and standards as the full-time employed officers with whom they serve. The LAPRF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit incorporated in December 1983.
For 2024, LAPRF Presidents Karla Ahmanson and Michael Sellars report the following current or recent initiatives on behalf of the Foundation Board of Directors.
In-Service Training
LAPRF promotes current training, education and instruction for LAPD reserve officers to accommodate their professional schedules. LAPRF’s funding for the live-fire simulation training program is a good example of lifesaving skills. This is supplemental training that is not otherwise provided by the City of Los Angeles.
We also reimburse officers for the fee (up to the early-bird discounted rate) to attend the California Reserve Peace Officers Association (CRPOA) Annual Reserve Peace Officers Conference (ARPOC), which will be held in the Los Angeles area this year. This conference provides our reserve officers with an opportunity to fulfill the California Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) required two-year Continuing Professional Training (CPT).
Equipment
LAPRF funds requests, including reimbursement, for authorized equipment that is not otherwise provided by the City/LAPD, or in the case of financial hardship. One of the most successful examples in this category was the reimbursement of the BDU utility wash-and-wear uniforms, which were authorized by the Department during the COVID pandemic. The original proposal, written by LAPRF Board Director Mel Kennedy, said: “Without the ability to dry-clean their uniform in a reliable fashion during this crisis, reserve officers would increase their exposure potential and that of their fellow employees and the public. This is precisely the circumstances in which our Foundation can fulfill its purpose in support of our reserve officers.”
This past year, the Foundation has implemented two equipment funding projects:
- The purchase and distribution of wound care packs, rapid gauze that stops severe arterial bleeding and saves valuable time in a field emergency.
- The reimbursement of critical “red dot” sighting equipment for approximately 25 officers to date who have completed the Department’s Pistol Mounted Optics (Red Dot) Transition Course as a reserve police officer. The equipment provides an extra tool to keep our communities safe in life-threatening circumstances.
For those recruits who have served in the United States military, LAPRF will provide a grant that covers the cost of equipment needed during recruit Academy training.
LAPRF can provide funds for equipment in specialized units, such as the Police Rifle Cadre and Air Support, Mounted and Motor Units. This includes financial support toward the creation of reserve task forces and other details to address specific crime and quality-of-life issues in the community. We have always supported our reserve officers who have given so much over the years to the LAPD’s partnerships with the Sunshine Kids, Special Olympics, Children’s Hospital L.A. and Operation School Bell.
Annual LAPD Reserve Officer of the Year and Twice a Citizen Awards
The men and women of the Los Angeles Police Reserve Corps selflessly serve their communities, sacrificing time with their families, leisure time and other opportunities. Some have made the ultimate sacrifice with their lives. LAPRF brings awareness to their achievements by hosting an awards dinner that acknowledges LAPD Reserve Corps members who have been selected by their division/area and bureau for outstanding contributions, culminating with the Department Reserve Police Officer of the Year. Length-of-service pins are handed out. This event also honors community leaders who have demonstrated a willingness to give back. In 2023, Debbie Allen, Norman Nixon and Uri and Myna Herscher were honored. In 2022, Wendy Garen and Joe Mantegna were honored. This year, Lisa Specht and Jim McDonnell were the community leader honorees; see Gala article in this newsletter issue. We also periodically present the Andrea Friedman Award to those who have gone above and beyond in leadership and support of the Corps. In 2023, retired Reserve Police Officers David Bush and Eric Rose received this honor.
New Reserve Exceptional Service Ribbon
At this year’s Gala, the Reserve Officer of the Year Awards were presented for Division/Area, Bureau and Department. The awards included the Reserve Exceptional Service ribbon, recently approved by the LAPD Uniform Committee as part of an LAPRF initiative. See page 25 for further details.
Scholarships
As a Los Angeles reserve police officer, you and your family have done a lot for our City. You have given your time — your tremendous commitment and dedication — to protect and serve your community. In recognition of this, the Los Angeles Police Reserve Foundation announced the 2024 LAPRF Emeritus Scholarship. As a current LAPD reserve officer, you and your children (and grandchildren) are eligible to apply for a scholarship. $2,500 will be awarded to the selected applicant. The scholarship winners are selected after the June 30, 2024, application deadline.
Additionally, we continue to offer the $2,000 Vocational Scholarship donated by Jeff and Heather Nocket and Todd and Cheryl Moore (with additional funding provided by Joe Wong) to LAPD reserve officers’ children or grandchildren through the LAPRF. See page 21 for further Vocational Scholarship details.
Legal Defense Plan Reimbursement
For the sixth year in a row, the Foundation has reimbursed a portion of the Basic Legal Defense Plan offered to LAPD reserve officers by the Los Angeles Police Protective League (LAPPL). We thank the League directors and staff, and we are grateful for this partnership, which brings extra peace of mind to our officers and their families.
Recruitment
The LAPD Reserve Corps has been an official part of the LAPD since 1947. A big part of the Foundation’s mission has been to promote awareness of the program and to continually inspire candidates to join the Corps, especially during these difficult recruiting times.
LAPRF actively recruits reserve officer candidates through a variety of methods including, but not limited to, billboards, television PSAs, radio and numerous social media campaigns. Much of this is low-cost or donated. We partner with the LAPD, reserve officers themselves and community leaders such as Dr. Shaquille O’Neal (who has served as a Los Angeles Port Police reserve officer) to tell their stories and inspire others to apply. LAPRF hosts tables and booths, operated by the Department’s Reserve Unit, at key events throughout Los Angeles (such as L.A. Fleet Week and the L.A. Auto Show) and arranges various speaking and community engagements. LAPRF actively seeks out opportunities to reach military veterans, as their skill set and willingness to serve can make them qualified and interested reserve candidates. LAPRF’s recruitment efforts are indispensable in ensuring a strong LAPD reserve program.
The Rotator Newsletter and Social Media
The LAPRF publishes The Rotator newsletter twice per year, in summer and winter, with Vice President Mark Deitch’s 911MEDIA. This version of the newsletter has been published since 2008, and printed copies are mailed to active reserve officers, command staff and others working on or within the LAPD reserve program. A PDF is also uploaded to the LAPRF website. Each issue highlights the service, accomplishments and other activities of LAPD reserve officers, and gives officers information on the reserve program Department-wide, with updates from LAPD and LAPRF management. Perhaps most importantly, the newsletter has become an archive to document the history of the LAPD Reserve Corps — today and in the past. Finally, the newsletter helps to provide a channel of advocacy, not politically but from a position of telling the story of our reserve officers. The summer issues feature the annual Gala. The winter 2023 issue included a cover story deep dive into the state of the Corps, analyzing and reporting on an LAPD Reserve Corps survey commissioned by the Foundation, which included 36 questions and over 100 responses. One respondent said: “Thank you for this survey. This is the first organized inquiry I can recall in a long time, and it reinforces how the LAPRF has been an advocate for the LAPD Reserve Corps.”
The LAPRF also manages a social media presence. The Los Angeles Police Reserve Foundation page was established on Facebook in November 2011. See page 31 for details on all the current accounts.
Reserve Memorial Garden
On June 26, 2021, the new Reserve Memorial Garden was dedicated at the LAPD Academy at Elysian Park, established and funded by the LAPRF in partnership with the Los Angeles Police Revolver and Athletic Club (LAPRAAC). The beautiful garden is centered by the Memorial Granite. Below the engraved LAPD badge on the stone, the Los Angeles Police Reserve Corps is listed, along with historical incarnations — the Los Angeles Police Auxiliary, Los Angeles Home Guard and Los Angeles Rangers. It reads: “In memory of our fallen partners who, in the line of duty, made the ultimate sacrifice: Norbert John Huseman, Emergency Policeman, EOW December 31, 1945; George Booker Mogle, Reserve Policeman, EOW August 7, 1946; [and] Stuart S. Taira, Reserve Police Officer, EOW March 1, 1983.”
Next to the Granite is the new plaque for Officer Taira, which his surviving brothers were there to see placed. This garden, a labor of love for so many, will stand as a monument for all who have served within this rich history of the Los Angeles Police Department.
Hardship and Bereavement
Over the years, some LAPD reserve officers and their families have needed financial, counseling or other assistance, often due to the consequences of their service to the City of Los Angeles. The LAPRF stands ready, as always, to be there for them.
You can read over 100 reviews of the Los Angeles Police Reserve Foundation at greatnonprofits.org, which listed LAPRF as a 2024 Top-Rated Nonprofit. Please consider writing a review; this site helps us reach out to donors and the community, providing transparency of our initiatives.