Helping their brothers in arms

Burbank is 1,900 miles away from Waveland, Miss., but members of the

Burbank Police Department are doing their part to bridge that

distance and help the hurricane-ravaged town.

The Burbank Police Department has adopted Waveland’s 29-member

police force and has already sent out 25 boxes filled with

much-needed police equipment and clothing with more to follow this

week.

“I have a family and I can’t imagine losing everything,” Burbank

Police communications operator Renee DeCastro said.

The Waveland Police Department was totally destroyed when

Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast on Aug. 29. Twenty-three of its

officers lost everything they owned and all the officers are now

working out of a 26-foot trailer, DeCastro said.

Rather than work through one of the larger relief organizations,

where donated items are distributed to the general population in

areas damaged by Katrina, DeCastro wanted to do something with a more

personal touch, she said.

“We wanted to concentrate on a smaller department we could have a

greater impact on,” DeCastro said.

Following the hurricane, the Waveland officers used safety-pins to

attach badges to their T-shirts to identify themselves, she said.

A call was put out through the Burbank Police Officers Assn. for

uniforms, protective vests, boots, gun belts, flashlights, batteries

and other police necessities.

“A pick-up loaded with boxes went out [Monday] morning,” Burbank

Police Lt. Ron Caruso said. “Every day when you come back there are

more.”

The boxes are filled with older but usable police equipment, and

clothing and other store-bought supplies to help out the officers and

their families, DeCastro said.

The supplies are the best way to help out because there is no

place nearby to shop, Caruso said.

“There isn’t a store within 100 miles,” DeCastro added.

Monetary donations to be used to purchase police equipment will be

accepted by the department, DeCastro said.

For more information, DeCastro can be contacted at (818) 238-3000.