This was also a year of firsts. We experienced the promotion of Regina Scott from the rank of Captain to the rank of Commander. She becomes the first African-American female promoted to that rank and she certainly won't be the last. We also held the very first Purple Heart Ceremony honoring our heroic officers, past and present, which have been killed or wounded in the line of duty. This was an award that was long overdue. These firsts were groundbreaking for this organization and are something we should be quite proud of.
The holiday season is all about giving and I also want to let you know how much I appreciate what all the divisions do for those less fortunate in our communities. Whether it's Rampart's benefit for blind children or Southeast's toy giveaway, every division does something which spreads holiday cheer to those who might need it most. It makes me proud to see you put just as much emphasis on the “serving” as we do the “protecting”.
In keeping with the spirit of giving there is one way you can give to each other that can be invaluable to those who need it most; by contributing to the Catastrophic Illness fund. The Catastrophic Illness fund is a special fund which is available to those officers who have experienced a major illness or injury and have exhausted all of their benefits. This fund is made possible by the generous donation of TO or vacation time by sworn members of our Department.
Donating time is easy. Simply go to the Department LAN and click on LAPD Forms. Type in “Catastrophic Illness” and the donation form will come up. Complete the form and submit it to FOD. There is no limit to the number of hours you can give and you can donate at any time.
I have seen firsthand how this program has given our officers more paid time off to heal. What better gift than to give a brother or sister in need the gift of peace of mind. Please consider it.
Throughout this past year the LAPD has been successful because of the tremendous support and cooperation we get from our City family. This year we want to specially recognize the following people who went far beyond the call of duty to help the Department accomplish our missions. Whether it's planning for Carmageddon and keeping traffic flowing, fighting to help us maintain our budget, defending our officers against lawsuits or spearheading our gang intervention programs,we want to send a special thanks to the following members of our extended City family:
- Deputy Mayor Ilene Decker - Office of the Mayor
- Supervising Attorney Cory Brente - City Attorney
- Transportation Engineer Aram Sahakian - Department of Transportation
- Director GuillermoCespedes - Office of the Mayor, Gang Reduction and Youth Development
As you gather to spend time with your family and friends during the holidays, please keep in your thoughts your brothers and sisters who will be working during this time. We are a 24/7 operation and not everyone will be able to spend time with their loved ones. Some of our PSR's, detectives, records clerks, patrol officers and many others will be spending the holidays away from their loved ones, serving their community and for that we are grateful.
Please keep in your thoughts and prayers our officers currently serving on active duty in the military. Keep them close to your heart, as we look forward to their safe return:
- Police Officer III Christine Bulicz Serial No. 34690 U.S. Air Force
- Police Officer II Jonathan Chandler Serial No. 38434 U.S. Navy
- Police Officer II Terrence Collins Serial No. 38318 U.S. Army
- Police Officer II Renee Escobedo Serial No. 34922 U.S. Army
- Police Officer III Richard Gadsby Serial No. 31981 U.S. Army
- Sergeant I Billy Gilbert Serial No. 31491 U.S. Army
- Police Officer II Edward Hewitt Serial No. 39644 U.S. Army
- Police Officer II Mario Jacinto Serial No. 36322 U.S. Army
- Sergeant II Michael Johnson Serial No. 31570 U.S. Air Force
- Police Officer II August Lopez Serial No. 38285 U.S. Army
- Police Officer II Kevin Marshall Serial No. 38399 U.S. Army
- Sergeant II Jose Martinez Serial No. 32879 U.S. Army
- Police Officer II Rigoberto Torres Serial No. 39788 U.S. Army
- Police Officer III Brandon Valdez Serial No. 36464 U.S. Marines
- Police Officer II Jason Valles Serial No. 38022 U.S. Army
- Police Officer II Ruben Vargas Serial No. 38825 U.S. Marines
- Police Officer II Roy Yoo Serial No. 39248 U.S Army
- Police Officer II James Zourek Serial No. 34445 U.S. Marines
Finally we must never forget the active, former or retired sworn and civilian members of our Department we lost this past year. Their loss leaves a permanent void in the heart of our organization:
- Captain III William “Bill” Eaton, Serial No. 26957, EOW 1/13/11
- Retired Sergeant Audrey L. Melane, Serial No. 3266, EOW 1/15/11
- Retired Investigator III Roland E. Phillips, Serial No. 6089, EOW 1/25/11
- Retired Police Officer III Lester Vargas, Serial No. 24565, EOW 2/6/11
- Retired Sergeant Gerald “Jerry” Moon, Serial No. 6262, EOW 2/9/11
- Police Officer II Frank Nicholas Hernandez, Serial No. 30889, EOW 2/18/11
- Detention Officer Dilys W. Sandy, Serial No. V9415, EOW 4/2/11
- Retired Sergeant I Scott Timothy Slinkard, Serial No. 21640, EOW 4/22/11
- Police Officer II Jose C. Diance, Serial No. 40316, EOW 4/23/11
- Retired Police Officer III Gerald Allen Jones, Serial No. 11635, EOW 4/27/11
- Retired Detective III John Wesley Hunter, Serial No. 14303, EOW 5/3/11
- Specialist Reserve Police Officer Royce Flowers, Serial No. R2813, EOW 5/5/11
- Retired Police Investigator III Raymond J. Blackwell Jr., Serial No. 6318, EOW 5/7/11
- Retired Sergeant II John “Jack” Lambert Sommers Jr., Serial No. 17769, EOW 5/8/11
- Retired Investigator III Arthur C. Fuentes, Serial No. 3947, EOW 5/9/11
- Sr. Police Service Representative I April Christine Hoff, Serial No. V8498, EOW 5/27/11
- Senior Clerk Typist Adrien Yvette Shields, Serial No. G8637, EOW 6/10/11
- Retired Lieutenant II Wayne Walter Mackley, Serial No. 10258, EOW 6/18/11
- Retired Police Officer Charles Clinton Wright, Serial No. 16550, EOW 7/10/11
- Retired Police Officer II Dennis George Farnham, Serial No. 15186, EOW 7/16/11
- Retired Police Officer II+6 Charles “Chuck” D. Perriguey, Serial No. 17318, EOW 7/16/11
- Former Police Officer II Barry A. Wojciechowski, Serial No. 26616, EOW 7/23/11
- Retired Police Investigator II John Raymond Petersen, Serial No. 5020, EOW 7/26/11
- Retired Detective II Virginio “Val” Santiago, Serial No. 15591, EOW 7/26/11
- Retired Police Officer III Stephen L. Beidle, Serial No. 17776, EOW 7/29/11
- Retired Lieutenant David Wheeler, Serial No. 7776, EOW 8/7/11
- Retired Police Officer III James Leonard Gleason, Serial No. 7451, EOW 8/8/11
- Retired Police Woman Investigator II Nan Lou Allomong, Serial No. 5997, EOW 8/12/11
- Detective II Jesus “Jesse” Ravega, Serial No. 25151, EOW 9/2/11
- Retired Detective III Felix P. Estrada, Serial No. 12124, EOW 9/3/11
- Retired Police Investigator III Stephen D. Broadhurst, Serial No. 3335, EOW 9/4/11
- Retired Sergeant I Dale Barton Bootow, Serial No. 7894, EOW 9/8/11
- Detective II Yolanda Echols, Serial No. 26115, EOW 09/08/11
- Police Officer Chris David Eilers, Serial No. 38274, EOW 9/12/11
- Retired Detective III James A. Pitman, Serial No. 7248, EOW 9/30/11
- Retired Captain III Holbert Dodson “Bob” Burns, Serial No. 3344, EOW 10/7/11
- Retired Police Officer III Richard Laitres, Serial No. 15778, EOW 10/8/11
- Retired Sergeant Fredrick Smith, Serial No. 6181, EOW 10/12/11
- Retired Police Investigator III John Allen Olsen, Serial No. 5139, EOW 10/16/11
Have a wonderful holiday season and I look forward to serving alongside you in 2012.
Take care and be safe,
Charlie
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