Simi Valley Residents Throw Rally To Show Their Support For Police

SIMI VALLEY (CBSLA.com) —  Recent headlines tell the story of the dangers of police work.

Police being killed in the line of duty in Dallas underscored those dangers vividly.

To show their support for the Simi Valley Police Department and law enforcement everywhere, residents on Friday evening threw a rally to support the men and women in blue.

"The job gets harder and harder every year. We're asking more and more of our officers on a daily basis," said one officer.

With this message in mind, a crowd clad in blue took steps to show the police how much they stand with them and behind them.

"Just want to say that we appreciate them and support them," said 17-year-old Lindsey Austin, rally organizer.

Austin helped organize this rally with her mom, she said, because  her step-dad is in law enforcement.

With the recent violence against police across the country, this high school senior and so many others wanted to show them they're thankful. And by wearing blue on their backs, those who attended the rally told KCAL9's Rachel Kim, it was like saying, 'We've got your back.'

"You only hear from the people who say bad things about cops. And there are so many people who still love and appreciate our cops and don't think bad about them," said Austin.

"We do encounter people who are increasingly more aggressive towards law enforcement," says Sgt. Adam Darough of the Simi Valley Police Department.

Darough has 25 years on the force and he knows how dangerous his job is. The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund recently reported, so far, 32 officers have been killed by guns, compared to 18 last year during the same period.

"It reminds us that anything can happen on any given day and we need to be on our toes 24/7. It also reminds us we want to treat everybody as best as we can," said Darough.

Reminders of the dangers of the job are all around. This crowd hoped to shed light on this as they solemnly reflected.

"I think we take them for granted but they really do so much even though we don't see it," Austin said.