Police officers visit Ground Zero with a donation

They toured Ground Zero and delivered checks to the New York City

police and fire departments and formed friendships in their time there.

A group of 12 members of the Huntington Beach Police Department went

to New York City to deliver checks totaling $90,000 to the New York City

Police Department, Fire Department of New York City and the Port

Authority of New York and New Jersey.

Being in New York is a lot different than seeing pictures on

television or in the newspapers, said Huntington Beach Detective Dave

McCain, one of the 12 officers that made the trip.

“Pictures don’t do it justice,” he said. “The areas affected by [the

attacks] are enormous, but if anyone can deal with it New Yorkers can.

They are tough people.”

The reception the Huntington Beach officers received was overwhelming,

McCain said.

“They treated us like royalty,” he said. “It almost made us feel

guilty. We did what we could do and in turn they did what they could for

us.”Jack Paholski, Brandon Reed, Eric Ramsey, Chris Tatar, Bobby Frahm,

Jon Haught, Steve Fullmer, Gil Coerper, Steve Ekstedt and dispatchers

Robin Kittman and Chris Curran also made the trip to New York.

Officers raised the $90,000 through T-shirt sales from the Huntington

Beach Police Officers’ Foundation and divided the funds by giving each

department $30,000.

T-shirts are still available by calling (714) 536-5912.

The Huntington Beach Police Department has invited two officers, Sgt.

Kevin Devlin and Officer Tom Kennedy, from the Port Authority Police

Department to come to Surf City as the department’s guests.

The two officers will arrive Friday and will be the guests of honor

during Sunday’s Huntington Beach “Procession of Lights,” with the theme

“United We Stand,” at 3 p.m. at the Huntington Beach Pier.

Police Chief Ronald Lowenberg and the officers that went to New York

will also pay tribute and honor Devlin and Kennedy at Monday night’s City

Council meeting.