**PRESS RELEASE**
BLUMENFIELD ANNOUNCES $25K REWARD TO HELP FIND SUSPECTS WHO STOLE PLAQUES HONORING LOCAL TEACHERS
SAN FERNANDO VALLEY, CA – On Thursday, Councilmember Blumenfield joined by LAPD Topanga Division’s Captain Rudy Lopez, and Walk of Hearts founder Joe Andrews announced a $25K reward for information leading to the identification, apprehension and conviction of the person responsible for the removal of the Walk of Hearts plaques. An annual tradition honoring local teachers with a plaque on Victory Blvd, these special metal awards line the sidewalks between Warner Center and Canoga Park, similar to the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
“We are seeing a rise of public infrastructure thefts and, while it is all unacceptable, it is even more abhorrent that these stolen sidewalk plaques honor life changing teachers who devoted their lives to making our community better,” said Councilmember Bob Blumenfield. “While there are ongoing conversations on how to remedy this situation, I want to make it clear that if you are going to pillage city property, there will be consequences.”
On several nights in June 2024 an unknown individual chiseled and removed 11 of the unique Walk of Hearts plaques from sidewalks in the Canoga Park/Warner Center neighborhoods. The theft of these plaques has created significant sidewalk damage as well as the loss of these landmarks that are both financially valuable and meaningful to the surrounding community. It is especially egregious that these plaques will likely be brought to metal recyclers and sold as scrap, in blatant disregard of their significance to the community. These crimes follow an unsettling trend around the region of stealing municipal property including copper wire, light poles, fire hydrants and other infrastructure that costs way more to fix than it yields for the criminals.
“Over a week’s time the same suspect has returned and stolen 11 plaques which commemorate the hard work of our educators,” said LAPD Topanga Division Captain Rudy Lopez. “These plaques cannot be replaced and we ask your help in identifying this suspect.”
"Teachers guide and help their students gain knowledge, confidence and build character. The person who has stolen these plaques has violated the community in many ways,” said Joe Andrews, founder of Walk of Hearts. “They have stolen not just a bronze plaque, they have stolen a piece of a teacher's legacy. A legacy that is built on trust and a passion of commitment that changes a student's life forever."
These plaques celebrate the dedication of teachers and The Walk of Hearts® has added new teachers plaques each year since 2004. Approximately 75 plaques have been installed in City of Los Angeles sidewalks on Victory Blvd and Sherman Way to honor these teachers. The Walk of Hearts® Foundation is a non-profit organization who has partnered with the City with appropriate permits from the Bureau of Engineering to install the plaques. The Foundation estimates the cost to replace the 11 plaques would be at least $4,000 per plaque and there will be an additional cost to repair the damages to the sidewalk.
Blumenfield stated, “If someone sees a person who appears to be defacing or stealing, please call the LAPD non-emergency line at 877-ASK-LAPD (877-275-5273).”
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