After the annual Heroes Behind the Badge 5k and 10k fun run walk/run fundraiser was cancelled due to COVID-19, the Lodi Heroes foundation organized a new fundraiser idea in partnership with the Lodi Police Foundation to “Adopt a Lodi Law Enforcement Officer (LEO).”
The fundraiser, which lasted from December 1st-December 31st of 2020, raised a grand total of $4,785 from the community. June Aaker and Gregg Arends attended the January 20, 2021 Lodi City Council regular meeting to announce the amount of funds raised and speak on behalf of the citizen group Lodi Heroes Foundation (LodiHeroes.org). The purpose of the funds is to purchase items that the Lodi Police Department cannot normally buy due to low funds from the city.
Lodi Police Chief Sierra Brucia also joined the Lodi City Council meeting via Zoom to thank the generosity of the community. Council Member Doug Kuehne spoke on the resilience and hard work Police Chief Brucia underwent in his first year as Police Chief in 2020.
The celebration was short-lived, however, as public comments later in the meeting touched on policing homeless individuals in Lodi. Mr. David Claxton, Board President of the Downtown Business Alliance, commented on the need for increased patrolling and enforcement of laws for homeless individuals in the downtown area to keep things orderly and clean, and allow businesses to thrive. Mayor Nakanishi responded to the comment by suggesting another Town Hall on Homelessness to allow Lodi’s Government to explain what they have done and what they can do under California’s laws.
