Local Officer Named Montrose's 2011 Person of the Year

You've probably seen Glendale Police Officer Matt Zakarian around town, talking to the community about crime prevention and building the Crescenta Valley Drug and Alcohol Prevention Coalition. 

Zakarian hosts the North Glendale Neighborhood Watch and helped to establish block captains in Sparr Heights and Montrose. He also helps to organize events with the CVDAPC, including the Race to Nowhere film screening and a speaker series for parents in Montrose and La Crescenta. 

"The best part of serving the Montrose - La Crescenta area is the small town feel people hold and how the community truly cares for one another," Zakarian told Patch. 

In 2012, Zakarian doesn't plan on stopping. His goals include continuing the North Glendale neighborhood watch and bringing more attention to the Crescenta Valley Drug & Alcohol Prevention Colation. 

"[I want to] help the Crescenta Valley Drug and Alcohol Prevention Coalition root itself into our community where it will educate parents on the pressures our youth and young adults perceive regarding destructive substance abuse," Zakarian said. 

As for his recognition by community members, he think there are others who contribute to making Montrose and La Crescenta great, he said. 

"I am very happy to have been chosen, however there are plenty of other people who have done a lot to move our community along," Zakarian said. 

"A successful and vibrant community starts by people who care enough to work together and are willing to fight the good fight to keep in moving forward," Zakarian said.