RELEASE: Friedman Unveils $1,031,000 Federal Investment to Strengthen Community Safety in Glendale Ahead of the 2028 Olympic Games

Above: Friedman announcing a new federal investment in community safety at the Glendale Police Department.

GLENDALE, CA - Today, July 27, 2026, U.S. Congresswoman Laura Friedman (CA-30) announced a new $1,031,000 federal investment to strengthen community safety in Glendale ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games. Friedman secured the investment after Glendale officials asked for help securing these tools needed to keep the community safe as the region prepares to welcome the world and for years to come.

A recording of the press announcement can be found here.

The federal investment Friedman secured allows Glendale to expand and modernize its Real Time Information Center without putting the cost on local taxpayers or diverting funds from other essential 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 Congresswoman Laura Friedman (CA-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."

"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. Sometimes even more important than the person who wears the badge is the information that arrives before they arrive. We need to give them information that helps them do their jobs better and safer, and that's what this investment of over $1,000,000 is about," said Glendale Mayor Ardy Kassakhian. "We couldn't ask for a better partner as someone who came out of local government and went up the ranks at the state level and the federal level."

"I want to start off by thanking Congresswoman Laura Friedman for her continued investment into the city of Glendale and her continued support for public safety, not just with the police department, but with the fire department as well," said Glendale Police Chief Robert Williams. "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. 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."

THE $1,031,000 FEDERAL INVESTMENT WILL:

• Nearly double the city's public safety camera coverage in public spaces, from 44 cameras today to between 90 and 100.
• Upgrade Glendale's Real Time Information Center.
• Strengthen the city's real-time information capabilities using the existing team of four specialists, with no new staff required.
• Improve response times so officers can respond faster and with better information when someone calls for help.
• The investment keeps all data under local control. Video is stored on the city's own systems, is not accessible to any outside vendor or other agency, and is retained for 30 days before deletion.
• Any request to share footage goes through the City of Glendale's own policies and process first, keeping decisions in the hands of officials accountable to the community.

The announcement is the latest in a series of federal investments Friedman has secured to prepare the region for the 2028 Games, all at no cost to local taxpayers. In April, she unveiled a $1,092,000 investment to replace the nearly 100-year-old water and wastewater systems at the Rose Bowl Stadium. In July, she announced $500,000 to bring shade, seating, and real-time arrival information to LA Metro bus stops and Metrolink rail stations across the district.

Friedman was joined today by Glendale Mayor Ardy Kassakhian, Glendale Police Chief Robert Williams, and officers from the Glendale Police Department.

Below: Friedman with local law enforcement and elected officials.

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