National Night Out: Police-Community Unity

On Tuesday, August 4, 2015 I was privileged to share some opening remarks at the request of the Livingston Police Department to kick-off National Night Out.

The initiative is an annual event designed to strengthen neighborhoods across America through police-community partnerships.

During these challenging times for law enforcement and community to forge greater partnerships, National Night Out represents a unity of effort so vital to the nation.

The Livingston Police Department,thanks to the leadership of Chief Craig M. Handschuch and Officer Gary Mankowitz, in unity with their community, has held six previous National Night Out events, all a resounding success.

As memorialized in previous blogs, it has been my pleasure to speak at these annual events and commend the outstanding police-community partnership evident in Livingston, New Jersey.

National Night Out - Livingston, New Jersey, 2014

At the request of the Livingston Police Department I delivered opening remarks on police-community collaboration at their National Night Out.

The event was held at Livingston High School and was an outstanding success with over 1,000 attendees from the community.

This was my 20th anniversary of participation in National Night Out as memorialized in previous posts.

National Night Out: Community Policing Par Excellence---August 6, 2013 blog

On Tuesday, August 6, 2013, America celebrated a community policing initiative par excellence, National Night Out. At the request of Police Officer Gary Mankowitz, President of the Essex County Crime Prevention Officers Association, I attended the event in his jurisdiction; Livingston, New Jersey.

This year marked my 19th National Night Out, which I have participated in at the request of different police departments, as memorialized in my August 5, 2009 post:

National Night Out: Police and Community Partnerships

On Tuesday, August 4, 2009, communities throughout America gathered to celebrate National Night Out a police & community partnership initiative. At the request of the Livingston, New Jersey Police Department, I was invited to share remarks during the opening ceremony with Essex County Prosecutor Paula Dowd, Police Chief Craig M. Handschuch, Township Manager Michele Meade, Mayor Charles August and Police Officer Gary Mankowitz. Officer Mankowitz of the Community Policing Unit, coordinated this first National Night Out for Livingston with true professionalism.

As a crime prevention specialist, I have been privileged to participate in and encourage involvement with National Night Out celebrations for the last 15 years. I first experienced this event at the invitation of Lt. Patrick Fay, rtd. from the Hackensack Police Department in New Jersey. For many years while managing a private security company, I would send a team of employees to meet the Hackensack Community and to fingerprint children so their parents could have these records as a safety measure.

Last night's event—held at the spacious fields of Livingston High School—was remarkably successful and attended by over 1,000 Livingston residents as well as people from throughout Essex County and New Jersey. These included families, law enforcement agencies, first responders, and the generous businesses who donated time, foods, refreshments, and prizes for hundreds of children.

Reprinted from the National Night Out website

http://www.nationalnightout.org/nno/about.html

National Night Out is America's Night Out Against Crime designed to:

• Heighten crime and drug prevention awareness;
  
• Generate support for, and participation in, local anticrime programs;
  
• Strengthen neighborhood spirit and police-community partnerships; and
  
• Send a message to criminals letting them know that neighborhoods are organized and fighting back.

The Livingston Police department, especially Chief Craig M. Handschuch, Officer Gary Mankowitz, and the entire community policing unit is to be commended for their first National Night Out. The event enhanced police–community partnerships and gave Livingston families a night to remember.