Hollywood Police Officers and Residents Celebrate Community Safety at National Night Out

From serving Pink’s hot dogs to painting faces, officers found fun ways to interact with hundreds of residents at the Hollywood Community Police Station on Tuesday night.

The festivities were among nearly 45 events held by the Los Angeles Police Department to mark , a crime and drug prevention program that was designed to gives residents across the country a chance to meet their law enforcement officers, firefighters and city officials at community-organized parties.

Capt. Beatrice Girmala, head of LAPD's Hollywood Division, attended the event even though she was on vacation.

“As a captain, you really have to take ownership of the community and the area in many ways, and not just in the traditional law enforcement ways, but really connecting with the people,” Girmala said.

“Part of National Night Out is not only to show people the lawful part of the community owns the street but we’re also here to support and include everyone," she said. "We want every single member to be a part of this and feel that they have a voice in how the police department services them.”

Marilyn Wall, head of Sunset Square Neighborhood Watch, agreed with Girmala's idea. Wall said that she has learned more about officers and gained respect for them as “caring, brave, dedicated individuals” because she has attended events like Night Out and joined a neighborhood watch.

Sgt. Darrell Davis helped organize the event and said it was an opportunity for the community to meet and learn more about their local law enforcement.

“There can be a negative idea of the police,” he said said. “Tonight is a chance for people to interact with us in a safe environment.”

Volunteers grilled hot dogs from Pink’s and served snow cones while families took photos by vintage police cars. Local youth learned about several of the year-round youth involvement programs such as the  LAPD Cadet Program and Police Activity League (P.A.L.).

“Our number one goal is to get kids off the street so they are not joining or being influenced by gangs,” said Davis.

Carlos Nunez, a 19-year-old captain within the cadet program, said events like National Night Out lets the community get to know officers in a much more relaxed setting. He said outreach from officers through events like National Night Out and other gatherings is the reason he joined the LAPD Cadet Program in 2006.

“I learned about all the opportunities involved in the program such as working Christmas parades, police training and tactical competitions,” said Nunez. “There’s nothing like it. You can only get this experience in these types of programs and it isn’t just to show you how to be a police officer. It’s to show you it is an option for you. Right now, we have an academy that teaches us character traits…not just to make us a police officer but for any career that we choose.”

Girmala said that when the community feels empowered, whether through youth programs or neighborhood watch programs or events such as National Night Out, officers obtain more information and levels of trust.

“We are able to sooner prevent crime or solve crimes and by having that level of trust and investment in each other, I think we stop that cycle of crime and violence,” Girmala told Patch.

The Hollywood Community Police Station has held a National Night Out celebration for the past nine years. More than 500 people were expected to attend the Hollywood celebration this year, which had several major sponsors including Pink’s Hot Dogs, the Los Angeles Dodgers, Target and Universal Studios.