San Fernando Police Department’s Nationwide Night Out Bash Draws Crowds – Daily News

Each year, the San Fernando Police Department hosts a statewide community meeting. It focuses on crime and drug prevention awareness, safety, and renewing relationships between police and neighborhood communities. Thanks to this, criminals know that residents are resisting.

The first national Night Out event was held in 1984, sponsored by the Pennsylvania-based National Highway Patrol Association, and is now hosted by police departments across the country. In the city of San Fernando, a section of First Street in front of San Fernando Police Department (SFPD) facilities was closed to make way for K9 demonstrations, high-risk vehicle stop demonstrations, music, free children’s activities and information booths from local governments and nonprofit agencies.

About 300 people showed up, apattendees had the opportunity to take photos of a fully restored 1956 Chevy SFPD police car, and the police station was open to the public where police equipment was on display and officers answered questions.

1 With 20

K-9 Officer Nicholas Murillo and dog Renz answer questions during the San Fernando Police Department’s annual National Night Out event in San Fernando on Tuesday, October 1, 2024. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

Increase

San Fernando Police Chief Fabian Valdez sees the annual event as an opportunity to build relationships with the people he serves. “National Night Out is a celebration, a celebration of relationships, a celebration of the relationship between the San Fernando Police Department and the San Fernando community,” he said.

This small city of approximately 25,000 people was founded in 1911 and covers an area of approximately 2.4 square miles. Valdez said police have a good relationship with residents: “The constant theme is, ‘We want to see more of you.’ We want to see more patrols. “I think that says a lot about the level of community engagement with the police,” he said.

According to Valdez, “The community and community stakeholders understand that a safe community is a vibrant community, supports its youth, and is a great place for young people to grow up. Our goal as a police force is to address quality of life issues and crime so that San Fernando can be the community we all know it can be.”

Valdez and SFPD officers mingled with the crowd, shaking hands, putting badges on children and answering questions.

One of the highlights of the evening was the officers’ demonstration of the “high risk” or “crime” stop, intended to show the public the procedure up close and safely.

During the demonstration, two patrol vehicles positioned themselves behind a vehicle with its hazard warning lights on. The officers approached the vehicle as in a real situation. They removed the suspect – a plainclothes SFPD officer – cleared the vehicle of other suspects and staged a mock arrest of the officer/suspect.

K-9 Officer Nicholas Murillo and dog Renz then took the stage, demonstrating how a police dog can be used to subdue a non-compliant suspect. Renz jumped into the vehicle, biting the protective suit of the officer acting as the suspect. Renz pulled him from the vehicle, allowing officers to take him into custody.

After demonstrations, officers answered questions about what they were doing, tactics, weapons, procedures and anything else the public wanted to ask. Children holding free toys took photos of officers and asked them questions about police work.

Perhaps one day in the distant future some will choose to work in law enforcement.