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Guests at this year's Mountain View Police Activities League banquet were wined, dined and if they chose to visit the sketch artist's activity booth, they were treated like an at-large "perp."

That's according to Carrie Drake, a consultant to the Mountain View Police Department, who helped organize the annual event, which was held for the first time at Shoreline Amphitheatre on Sept. 16.

"It's amazing how accurate these trained forensic artists are," Drake said. "It's pretty impressive."

The sellout crowd of 280 was also given tours of the venue's backstage area, which Drake said she expected to be "glamorous," but described as rather normal. Guests also were invited to meet the department's German shepherd police dogs and take a look inside the mobile command vehicle, which serves as a miniature police station on wheels and is deployed at large events, such as the Art and Wine Festival and concerts at Shoreline.

The event raised $39,000 for the Mountain View Police Activities League through ticket sales and the silent and live auctions.

Many cities across the country have Police Activities Leagues. The goal of these organizations is to provide a venue for youth and officers to interact in a constructive environment as they participate in activities like tennis, soccer, paintball and boxing.

Joe Fonzi, a sportscaster for local television station KTVU, was the event's master of ceremonies, and police helped the wait staff serve tables.

"It was just a lot of fun," Drake said.

Police Activities League banquet

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