From the Morris County Freeholders:
NATIONAL NIGHT OUT EVENT IN MORRIS COUNTY SET FOR AUG. 2 AT THE MENNEN SPORTS ARENA
FREE FAMILY EVENT OFFERS SKATING, ENTERTAINMENT AND GIVEAWAYS
Morris County’s fourteenth annual National Night Out event, hosted by the Morris County Park Police and the Morris County Park Commission, returns to the Mennen Sports Arena in Morris Township on Tuesday, August 2, 2016, from 5-9 p.m., and will feature plenty of free attractions.
The event will offer free food, drinks, live entertainment, ice-skating and giveaways. In addition, fire, police, and rescue units will be on hand to demonstrate a wide range of skills and equipment that are used in helping to protect and safeguard Morris County residents.
“This is a perfect event to bring together our police, fire and county rescue teams with county residents, to have them explain what they do, talk about important community crime and safety efforts, and also to have a good time at the ice rink on a hot summer night,’’ said Morris County Freeholder Douglas Cabana, who is the county governing board’s liaison on law and public safety issues.
National Night Out, which began in 1984, is an annual nationwide community-building campaign that promotes police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie to make neighborhoods safer and better places to live.
It provides an opportunity to bring police and residents together in a positive setting, while promoting a countywide sense of community.
The event is meant to increase awareness about police programs in communities, such as drug prevention, town watch, neighborhood watch and other anti-crime programs.
Neighborhoods across the nation host block parties, festivals, parades, cookouts and other community events with safety demonstrations, seminars, youth events, visits from emergency personnel and exhibits.
The National Night Out event in Morris County is scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 2. It will have a special focus on families, and the police, rescue and emergency services available to them.
Visitors can investigate the essential equipment of police, fire, and emergency teams, including motorcycles, ambulances, all-terrain vehicles, fire engines, and squad cars.
The horses of the Morris County Park Police’s award-winning Mounted Equestrian Unit also will be on hand.
In addition, the Morris County Park Police will once again offer registration for their Child ID cards, an initiative launched in 2000 that has registered more than 1,000 children annually.
“The Morris County National Night Out for the past seven years has received national recognition because it offers a comprehensive array of participating agencies to educate the public on available community services,” said Park Police Chief Gabe DiPietro.
Each year since 2007, the National Association of Town Watch has named the Morris County’s National Night Out event a national award winner.
Chief DiPietro and the Morris County Park Police, who co-sponsor the event, will be on hand to detail their role in law enforcement in Morris County. The Park Police Department currently patrols park facilities in cars and on motorcycles, bicycles, all-terrain vehicles, and horses to ensure public safety.
Representatives from the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office also will be present and available to interact with the public and to disseminate educational and informational materials regarding a range of public safety topics
Mennen Sports Arena is at 161 East Hanover Ave. in Morris Township. For more information on the Park Police or National Night Out, visit https://www.morrisparkpolice.org/ or contact Chief Gabe DiPietro at or Park Commission spokeswoman Lois Wnek.
