Hawthorne police honored for life-saving care; department outlines FIFA World Cup safety plan and cooling stations

The council recognized Hawthorne Police officers for multiple life-saving awards received regionally and from the California EMS Authority. Dr. Naragawa read the names of officers honored for extraordinary medical interventions and urged the public to acknowledge the department's integrated medical-response program, which trains officers to deliver immediate care when they often arrive before fire/EMS.

Separately, Sergeant Kemp (HPD liaison to regional venues) briefed the council on safety preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup matches at nearby stadiums. Kemp said the department is coordinating with LA Metro, neighboring cities and county partners to manage increased pedestrian flows, higher hotel and restaurant demand and greater parking pressures. The city will deploy extra staffing on match days, operate an emergency-operations center with live drone feeds and maintain a visible patrol presence. Kemp also said the city will host five cooling stations (canopies with seating and water) at identified corners to reduce heat-related medical calls for visitors walking to and from stadium transit access points.

The council thanked HPD and public-works staff for signage, outreach and operational planning. Officials emphasized the "deterrent" role of no-event-parking signage and advised residents to use non-emergency lines for parking issues and 911 for emergencies.