by June Portnoy
It’s not every day that you see the chief of police still in uniform grilling hot dogs for local residents, or children throwing balls trying to “dunk a cop”, but those were two of the many attractions at Lower Southampton Township’s first annual National Night Out. This evening promoting police-community partnerships was held Tuesday, August 13 at the township building’s baseball field in Feasterville.
Some other family-friendly activities included exploring fire engines and EMT vehicles, throwing velcro darts at a large bull’s eye, jumping on a moonbounce, and indulging in tasty food like water ice and popcorn.
But why were so many Lower Southampton police officers and first responders chatting with these family members and assisting with all the festivities?
Chief of Police John “Ted” Krimmel from the Lower Southampton Police Department (LSPD) explained that National Night Out is about getting everyone in the community together so children and adults can talk to the police in a positive situation. It’s also a great opportunity for Lower Southampton neighbors to get to know the people who are keeping them safe”.
Establishing this event in Lower Southampton was the brainchild of LSPD Officer Rebecca Norman who grew up in a police family. She described how she attended National Night Out her entire life being this is a national initiative.
In fact, millions of neighbors take part in National Night Out across thousands of communities from all fifty states, US territories and military bases worldwide on the first Tuesday in August. The Lower Southampton Township National Night Out was initially scheduled for August 6 as well, but due to severe storms that evening, it was postponed to the 13th.
When LSPD Officer Norman presented the idea of bringing this community-building campaign to this township, Chief Krimmel was immediately on board.
“We want everyone in Lower Southampton Township to use this evening to develop a positive relationship with their local police officers,” explained Officer Norman. “Although nationally, this event is exclusively for the police, we expanded it to our first responders since we work very closely with one another.”
LSPD Officer Gray Newman, added that “people often only have contact with police officers in negative, stressful settings, but National Night Out gives people the opportunity to interact with the police in a nice, calm, upbeat setting.”
And as Chief Krimmel handed a smiling little girl a hot dog from the barbecue and a boy laughed after soaking Sergeant Sean Dougherty in the “dunk a cop”, it was evident that this National Night Out had accomplished its objectives.