San Fernando Police Department’s National Night Out event draws crowds – Daily News

Each year, the San Fernando Police Department hosts the community’s National Night Out gathering. It focuses on crime and drug prevention awareness, safety, and renewing neighborhood police-community relationships. It also lets lawbreakers know that residents are fighting back.

The first National Night Out event was held in 1984 sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch based in Pennsylvania, and is now held by police departments nationwide. In the City of San Fernando, a stretch of First Street was closed in front of the San Fernando Police Department (SFPD) facilities to make room for K9 demonstrations, high-risk vehicle stop demonstrations, music, free activities for children, and booths with information from local government and non-profit agencies.

About 300 people turned out, and participants got the chance to take photos with a fully restored SFPD 1956 Chevy patrol car, and the police department was open to the public, with police equipment on display and officers answering questions.

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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, Oct. 1, 2024. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

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San Fernando Police Chief Fabian Valdez sees the annual event as a chance 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.

The small city of about 25,000 was incorporated in 1911 and is about 2.4 square miles. Valdez said the police department enjoys a strong relationship with residents: “The constant theme is, ‘We want to see more of you. We want to see more patrols.’ “I think it speaks volumes as to the level of commitment the community has towards its police department,” he said.

In Valdez’ view, “The community and community stakeholders understand that a safe community is a vibrant community, supports its youth, and it’s a great place for young people to grow up. And that is our goal at the police department here, is to address quality of life issues, address crime so that San Fernando can be the community we all know it can be.”

Valdez and SFPD officers mingled in the crowd, shaking hands, placing badge stickers on children and answering questions.

One highlight of the night was a demonstration by officers of a “high-risk” or “felony” stop to show the public the procedure up close and safely.

During the demonstration two patrol vehicles lined up behind a vehicle with emergency lights activated. Officers approached the vehicle as they would in a real-life situation. They removed the suspect — an SFPD officer dressed in plain clothes — cleared the vehicle of other suspects, and played out a mock arrest of the officer/suspect.

Then K-9 Officer Nicholas Murillo and dog Renz took the stage, demonstrating how a police dog would be used to subdue a noncompliant suspect. Renz jumped into a vehicle, biting onto the protective suit worn by the officer, who was acting as a suspect. Renz pulled him from the vehicle, allowing officers to take him into custody.

After the demonstrations, officers answered questions about what they did, tactics, weapons, procedures and anything the public wanted to ask. Children holding free toys took photos with officers and asked them questions about being a police officer.

Maybe one day in the distant future, some will choose to go into law enforcement.