Behind the Badge
Celebrating special days with her large family is nothing new for Katrina Cruz of Westminster.
Cruz’s 38th birthday was no different, but there were a couple of things that made this party extra special.
First off, this was Cruz’s first-ever surprise party.
But the surprise within a surprise was the motorcade of Westminster police officers who drove by honking, flashing their lights, and blaring their sirens.
A line of Westminster Police Department patrol cars drive through the library parking lot to wish Katrina Cruz a happy birthday.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge
Such “drive-by” birthdays have become commonplace for the police because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This is actually our second one for the day,” Westminster Police Sgt. Bill Drinnin said. “We’ve literally gotten countless requests and I don’t know of one we haven’t been able to fulfill. We’ve done them for little kids. We’ve done them for elderly folks. It doesn’t really matter and it has really caught on with a lot of agencies.”
Even before the party, Cruz has always thought of the Westminster Police Department as being “awesome.”
Friends drive by to wish Katrina Cruz a happy birthday as she celebrates with her family in the Westminster Library parking lot.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge
“And for them to come out for something like this, it just shows how much they really care about their community,” she said. “I have never had a surprise birthday ever in life so this is really unreal. Especially during covid, this is just a great thing. This is very moving.”
The party was organized by the two oldest of Cruz’s four children.
“We’ve been in a couple of drive-by birthdays before so why not do one for my mom,” said Kekoa Meno, Cruz’s 17-year-old son. “So, I thought we just get everybody who’s close enough to come out and celebrate with my mom because she just does so much for us and we’ve got to return it any way we can.”
Westminster PD Sgt. Bill Drinnin gets a thank you hug from Katrina Cruz after surprising her at her birthday party.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge
Katrina Cruz, whose parents were born in Guam, thanks friends as they drive by in the Westminster Library parking lot to wish her a happy birthday.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge
Katrina Cruz gets a surprise visit during her birthday from Westminster PD Officers Nicole Brown, left, Sgt. Bill Drinnin and Roland Perez.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge
A line of Westminster PD patrol cars drive down 13th Street to wish Katrina Cruz a happy birthday.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge
Katrina Cruz smiles as she celebrates her birthday with her family in the Westminster Library parking lot.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge
