Let Your Kids Go Behind-the-Scenes at the Pasadena Police Department’s First Open House Tour in Years

The Pasadena Police Department has announced a special Open House set for Saturday, May 13, when the nation commemorates National Police Week with simultaneous events across the United States.

Officers and civilian employees, with help from community volunteers, will host tours of the Department’s headquarters facilities at 207 N. Garfield Avenue, with special displays, refreshments and activities for kids on hand.

“We plan on having it out in front – with the mobile command post, the helicopter unit, the motorcycle unit, the SWAT vehicle, the UTVs that we have,” said spokesperson Lt. Tracey Ibarra, “We’ll have Forensics out there, we’ll have a barbecue going so lots of hotdogs and drinks for people – for free of course.”

“Building tours will be every half hour from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. so people will get a chance to fully see the building,” she said. “It’s going to be very engaging, and hopefully people will know more about the Department and the operations of the Department on a much more personal level.”

Ibarra said the tour will take people across such behind the scene to the city jail, the records section, the property room, and the briefing room where officers discuss and finalize operational plans during certain police incidents, and to the general area where officers do their report writing.

The last time the Pasadena Police Department hosted an Open House was about ten years ago, says Ibarra. This time, she said, the event will mark the return to what is now expected to be a new annual tradition.

“We’re going to make it an annual event. It’s our intent to do it in conjunction with National Law Enforcement Officers Week,” Ibarra. “So we’re saying First Annual, meaning we’re committing now to make it an annual event.”

Ibarra added this is intended to be a kid-friendly event, so parents should be bringing their children along.

“Unfortunately, with the events that are happening not only here but more so on a global level, kids tend to have a fear [of police officers],” Ibarra said. “I’ve seen it personally. If a law enforcement officer is present, something bad must have happened.”

“I don’t want them to afraid of us. I want them to think of us as a resource to them and as a comfort,” she said.

The Open House, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., will see a number of community volunteers helping as tour guides, helping with the barbecue and with other tasks to allow the officers more time to interact with visitors, Ibarra said.