Behind the Badge
Heavenly morsels of sweetness barraged the briefing room in the Garden Grove Police Department recently, as an array of hand-crafted holiday cookies – 87 plates of them – filled virtually every available space.
Karen Hatfield, a community organizer, author, and overall good person, once again led the effort to deliver the treats to the police department as a show of appreciation for their service.
Garden Grove PD Capt. Travis Whitman gives Karen Hatfield of the West Garden Grove Neighborhood Watch a thank you hug for her support.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC
“These are love … pure love,” Hatfield said of the cookies, which included walnut clusters, almond bars, and salty Scotties. “They are heirloom recipes that have come down through my family.”
Members of the Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (NJROTC) from Pacifica High School helped bake and the majority of the ingredients were donated by the community.
“It’s the best thing ever,” Pacifica NJROTC student Aiden Bair said. “We get to help people.”
Don Haynes, a graduate from the GGPD Citizens Academy, helps unload as residents from the West Garden Grove Neighborhood Watch bring cookies and treats to the Garden Grove PD.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC
Hatfield made her first cookie donation to GGPD in the wake of the July 2016 shooting in Dallas, where five police officers were killed and nine others wounded.
She dropped off cookies again for Christmas in 2016.
“We could not do what we do without the community,” GGPD Chief Todd Elgin told his officers. “I want you guys to appreciate how the community feels about you.”
Karen Hatfield of the West Garden Grove Neighborhood Watch stands with her grandson Jax Johnson, 4, as she presents the GGPD chief a wooden Thin Blue Line flag wall hanging with a small plaque in the corner that reads “Garden Grove Police Department Outstanding & Dedicated Officers.”
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC
Hatfield also gave GGPD a wooden Thin Blue Line flag with a small plaque in the corner that reads “Garden Grove Police Department Outstanding & Dedicated Officers.”
She also donated copies of her children’s book, “Morty and the Hungry Lion,” based on a story from her childhood told by her father.
Officers will keep the books in their patrol units, for when they have the opportunity to read to a child in a time of crisis.
Garden Grove PD Sgt. Nick Jensen gets 4-year-old Jax Johnson to point to the treats he likes the most.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC
Hatfield is also donating proceeds from the sale of the book to the children of Candice Bowers, a Garden Grove resident and single mother of three who was among 59 killed at the Route 91 Harvest country festival on the Las Vegas strip on Oct. 1.
“I appreciate all you guys have done and I hope this is a tradition that continues on,” Hatfield told the officers.
Karen Hatfield of the West Garden Grove Neighborhood Watch and her 4-year-old grandson Jax Johnson, present Garden Grove Police Chief Todd Elgin with a wooden Thin Blue Line flag. The book Elgin is holding, “Morty and the Hungry Lion”, was given to him by Cindy Hanlon, who wrote the book.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC
Garden Grove Police Chief Todd Elgin, right, talks about the importance of having community support as he thanks the West Garden Grove Neighborhood Watch for the Christmas treats.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC
Representatives of the West Garden Grove Neighborhood Watch with Garden Grove Police Chief Todd Elgin, from left: Aidan Bair, Leslie Phan, Karyn Durham, Chief Todd Elgin, Julie Brietigam, Karen Hatfield and her 4-year-old grandson, Jax Johnson.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC
Garden Grove Police Chief Todd Elgin with the wooden Thin Blue Line flag wall hanging presented to him by the West Garden Grove Neighborhood Watch.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC
Representatives of the West Garden Grove Neighborhood Watch with the Christmas treats they brought to the officers, from left: GGPD Chief Todd Elgin, Karen Hatfield, her 4-year-old grandson Jax Johnson, Julie Brietigam, Karyn Durham, Leslie Phan, Capt. Ed Leiva, and Don Haynes.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC
