[wowslider id="142"]
By Terry Miller
In Dallas, five police officers were killed by a gunman who was angry with law enforcement for killing black men. In Missouri, a family mourns the loss of 18-year-old Michael Brown, an unarmed black student killed in a fatal police shooting. In San Diego a police officer was killed … the list goes on.
Tensions between minorities and police departments across the nation have been fraught with mistrust and misunderstanding.
On Tuesday evening local leaders throughout the nation hosted National Night Out activities to bolster ties between law enforcement leaders and the communities they serve. The annual event comes at a time when lawmakers and social justice activists are calling for police reforms amid high rates of police killings and a growing trend of brutal deaths by police videos being shared on social media.
In Monrovia, the event was held at Library Park, with hundreds of people enjoying a warm evening with local law enforcement personnel, as well as city council members.
One of the more popular events was getting a chance to sit on Officer J. Mead’s police motorcycle and have your picture taken aboard said vehicle.
Officer Mead, who’s about to reach the 20-year mark with Monrovia PD was delighted to get to know the community, particularly the kids, without having to issue a citation.
One young man, 2-year-old Beckett Kyle, found out what it’s like to be aboard a police motorcycle, but secretly his mum told us he wants to be a firefighter.
Perhaps the high point of Monrovia’s National Night Out came towards the end of the evening when an erratic driver raced by Library Park and quite literally “laid rubber,” screeching away from the intersection.
Immediately, Officer Jim Mead, who was attending the “Night Out” in uniform and on his bike, took off after the motorist. He left to the cheers of the crowd … not the normal response an officer enforcing traffic regulations receives. It was a fitting conclusion to an evening dedicated to creating a better bond between the community and its police department.
