The Los Angeles Dodgers will conduct Law Enforcement Appreciation Night at Tuesday evening’s game against the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium, including Los Angeles Police Department bomb detection canine handler Officer Lauraine Harrington throwing the ceremonial first pitch.
Harrington is a 23-year member of the LAPD. She and her K-9 partner Champ will receive the Dodgers Community Hero Award. Champ is a 5-year-old Labrador retriever with four years of service in the LAPD, a federally certified member of the National Explosives Detection Canine Team and has successfully conducted numerous explosive searches throughout Los Angeles.
LAPD Officer Danny Cota and his K-9 partner, Achal will be recognized during the pregame ceremonies. The pair have been involved in numerous searches and the successful apprehensions of suspects wanted for such crimes as homicide, assault with a deadly weapon, car theft and burglary.
Cota has received over 120 commendations and is a recipient of the LAPD’s Meritorious Unit Citation.
Cota and Achal are assigned to the LAPD’s elite Metropolitan Division K9 Platoon.
There will be a pregame flyover by an LAPD Airbus H125 helicopter, piloted by officers in the Air Support Division. The California Highway Patrol’s Southern Division Motor Squad will line up along the warning track.
LAPD Detective Christopher Reza will perform the national anthem with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Mounted Unit Color Guard serving as the color guard.
A ticket package including a promotional mug is available at Dodgers.com/LawEnforcement.
Retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Don Nguyen will be honored as the Military Hero of the Game.
Nguyen was born in 1969 in what was then South Vietnam. His family escaped from communist-controlled Vietnam in 1978 and lived at a refugee camp until immigrating to the United States in 1979.
Nguyen joined the Air Force in 1988. He deployed in support of Operation Desert Shield, Operation Desert Storm, Operation Noble Eagle and two consecutive combat deployment tours in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Nguyen retired in 2015.