U.S. Congresswoman Laura Friedman has announced a new $1,031,000 federal investment to help strengthen community safety in Glendale ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.
The federal funding will allow Glendale to expand and modernize its Real Time Information Center without putting the cost on local taxpayers or diverting funds from other city services.
“Glendale came to me with a real need, I made it a priority, and I fought in Washington to get it done,” said Friedman, who represents District 30. “Keeping our neighborhoods safe should never depend on the size of a city’s budget. This is a million dollars to help our officers respond faster, prevent crime, and protect our families, and not a cent of it comes out of the pockets of Glendale taxpayers. The Games come and go, but this investment stays. I will keep fighting to bring our tax dollars home and keep our communities safe long after the closing ceremony.”
The federal investment will be used to: nearly double the city’s public safety camera coverage in public spaces, from 44 cameras to between 90 and 100; upgrade the city’s Real Time Information Center and strengthen its related information capabilities; and improve police response times. All data will remain under local control and will not be accessible to outside vendors or agencies.
The announcement is the latest investment Friedman has secured to prepare the region for the 2028 Games. In April, she unveiled a $1,092,000 investment to replace the water and wastewater systems at Rose Bowl Stadium, and in July, she announced $500,000 to provide shade, seating and real-time arrival information to LA Metro bus stops and Metrolink rail stations in the district.
“Congresswoman Friedman has always understood the importance of utilizing technology to keep communities safe, and she continues that hard work now in Congress, bringing very necessary funds that will not cost Glendale’s taxpayers additional dollars,” said Glendale Mayor Ardy Kassakhian.
“Our real-time intelligence center has already helped investigators solve murders, violent crimes and residential burglaries by providing critical leads that might otherwise be unavailable,” added Glendale Police Chief Robert Williams. “At the end of the day, this isn’t about equipment; it’s about giving our officers every advantage to respond more quickly and investigate more effectively.”
Go ahead and waste that money putting up spy cameras, Laura, we’ll tear every single one of them down.