The City of Valparaiso joined in the fun Tuesday night as cities across the country celebrated National Night Out, an event helping to build safer, more connected communities. The Valparaiso Police Department traveled to several Valpo neighborhoods to bond with the community it serves as well as take part in all the fun activities going on.
National Night Out is a nationwide event bridging the gap between law enforcement officers and the people they serve by encouraging community members to host events like block parties and cookouts, which are then attended by the city’s officers. This helps build neighborhood camaraderie while also making a statement about how safe the community feels.
The City of Valparaiso has participated in National Night Out for the past 20 years.
“It is a great community event. We look forward to it every year. It brings police into the neighborhood so we can positively interact with our citizens in a positive environment. We constantly try to improve, and it gives us an opportunity to speak with citizens to hear what's on their minds, if they're having any issues in their neighborhood, what we can do to help their neighborhoods, and provide a safe atmosphere for everyone,” said Andrew McIntyre, chief of police at the Valparaiso Police Department.
As officers visited each participating neighborhood, they arrived with sirens blaring and lights flashing to the delight of attendees. Members of the department’s K9 unit, bike patrol, Patrol Division, and support staff were more than happy to meet with their neighbors for a night of fun.
“Getting to talk to the entire community as a whole and being able to go to the different corners of our community is my favorite part of this event. We also get to go out and meet people in their own space which is exciting,” said Sergeant Joe Cowser.
Beyond connecting with the community, National Night Out has always shown the police department how safe their neighbors feel thanks to the efforts of the city’s officers. Even after the sun sets, the people of Valpo know that they’re protected from potential crime.
National Night Out also serves as an excellent opportunity for the police department to teach the community about everything the department does and to demonstrate how they do it.
“I think when you recognize faces, it's easier to be more proactive. It creates an understanding that the people who protect us are people, too. We are also able to basically treat them as people and understand that they have families and lives,” Community Member Ethan Post said.
It was clear to all involved that the community really benefited from this year’s event. Participants engaged with officers, asked questions, laughed, and conversed until the department had to move on to the next neighborhood.
Building trust that the police want to see Valpo flourish just as much as everyone else is important in making citizens feel comfortable interacting with the police to build a better city. Similarly, it’s important for officers to see how much the community supports their efforts, giving them confidence that they’re doing their job as best as possible.
“I just want to thank our community for their support. It really helps us do our job. We would not be as successful as an agency without our community and without our community's support. This community goes above and beyond for us, and we do the same in return for them,” McIntyre said.
As the Valpo Police Department wraps up another successful National Night Out, eyes are already being set on next year’s event, which everyone hopes will be even bigger.
To become more involved with the City of Valparaiso, check out the city’s community page for a list of resources such as calendars, news, and more.
