Law Enforcement

LA CRESCENTA ? Second-grader Max Mesmik cut to the chase. ?Has anyone ever shot you?? he asked Los Angles County Sheriff Deputy Jorge Valdivia. The officer replied that he was lucky he?d never been shot. ?They try to run away,? Valdivia said. ?But we catch them.? Max was one of about 20 Monte Vista second-graders who were given a tour of the Briggs Avenue sheriff?s station Tuesday morning. ?They get to see how it all works,? said their teacher, Bryant Stephan.

The House of Representatives passed a bill this week to create a national registry of arsonists, a system modeled after California’s electronic database that tracks sex offenders. The proposed registry would give law enforcement and fire officials access to a national resource cataloging convicted arsonists and bombers from every state. While most states have their own registries, they are independent, and many do not match up with all of the requirements of the proposed database.

NORTHWEST GLENDALE — A law enforcement officer shot a man shortly before noon Tuesday on the eastbound Ventura (134) Freeway Pacific Avenue offramp, Glendale police said. The man was transported to County-USC Medical Center, Glendale Police Sgt. Tom Lorenz said. The condition of the man, who Lorenz did not identify, was not yet known. He was shot in the upper body during a struggle with an officer with a law enforcement agency that Lorenz did not identify because the investigation was too nascent, although he said it was not Glendale Police.

Youth centers needed in the area I am so happy to read your article on the new Armenian Youth Center (“Kids learn about Armenian culture,” Aug. 10). How fortunate those young people must feel having such a wonderful new center and the ability to learn about their culture. I come from Scotland, which has a long history of wars and fighting to enable the Scots to keep their country, and I am proud to be able to tell my son all about the history and have many books on the subject.

CENTRAL GLENDALE — Officer Marilyn Cisneros grew up in a gang-ridden Los Angeles neighborhood where helicopters constantly flew overhead and police officers had to watch their backs to avoid being shot. As a child, she saw her neighborhood become overrun with crime, and she knew she didn’t want be on the wrong side of the law. Cisneros wanted to be a cop and help people living among crime. She joined the Glendale Police Department 19 years ago and has devoted her life to trying to make the community a safer place to live.

One hundred and twenty miles through the desert from Baker to Las Vegas may sound like a long drive, but imagine what it is like running it. ?I?m really excited,? said Sgt. Tim Feeley. Feeley is the captain of the Glendale Police Department team that will be running that 120-mile Baker-to-Vegas Challenge Cup Relay Race this weekend. ?This the 21st year [our department] will be running,? Feeley said. The race brings Southern California law enforcement together for a challenging competition.

Residents packed inside a warm bakery Tuesday morning, where they were treated to hot cups of coffee as they talked with local police officers about their concerns about speeding, loud noise and other quality-of-life issues. The Montrose Home Bakery served up complimentary homemade pastries to patrons who attended the Coffee with the C.O.P.P.S. event that the Glendale Police Department created to improve communication between police and residents to reduce crime in town. “I think it’s a very good town,” bakery owner Henry Baeza said.

Members of the community met with Glendale police at Berolina Bakery on Ocean View Boulevard in Montrose on Feb. 6 to discuss neighborhood problems and just to get to know the local law enforcement that serve the area. “Coffee With A Cop” is a program started by Officer Matt Zakarian to connect community members with police. “We will also have law enforcement from other agencies like the C.V. Sheriff’s Station and LAPD (Los Angeles Police Department)

Local students, parents and law enforcement were among the estimated one million people who traveled to Washington, D.C. on that cold winter morning Jan. 20 to see president-elect Barack Obama take the oath of office. “I wasn’t going to miss it,” said Margaret O’Rourke. She and her Rosemont Middle School eighth grade son, Owen Solis, went to the inauguration to watch history up close and personal. Well, maybe not so up-close. “We were one area back from the Reflecting Pool, about eight to 10 football fields from the podium,” O’Rourke said.

Motorists are seeing more California Highway Patrol officers on the highway over the holidays during the Christmas Maximum Enforcement Period that began Wednesday and will run through midnight on Dec. 28. ?If you choose to drink and drive this holiday season, those flashing red lights in your rear-view mirror won?t belong to a red-nosed reindeer, but to a CHP officer?s vehicle,? warned CHP spokesperson Officer Todd Workman in a holiday statement. In addition to having more units out on the roads, CHP reminds motorists to have a non-drinking driver if they plan to attend holiday parties, and to follow all traffic laws including speed limits, and to always wear seatbelts.