SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — It's a community block party that's more than fair food and games of chance; it's a way to solidify the relationship between a community and its police force.
It's known as National Night Out, and 28/22 News Reporter Colby Hughes was in the Electric City Tuesday night to inform us about our local Night Out.
This annual event's objective is to get the community involved in preventing crime with some added fun along the way.
With canine demonstrations, a helicopter display, and swearing in of new officers, Tuesday's National Night Out with the Scranton Police Department drew a big crowd.
One of the main goals is to learn what role local residents can play in keeping the community safe.
"This event brings everybody together, and they talk to the police officers outside of an enforcement environment. We're not doing any work; we're people, we come, interact, and we have a conversation. That's very important to us," Scranton Police Department Chief Thomas Carroll told 28/22 News.
Six new officers took the oath and spent the night meeting the people they will protect.
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"It's great to see the amount of community members that come out to support the police department. Without the community support, a police department really can't function at the quality the Scranton Police Department functions at," Scranton Police Department Patrolman Tyler Michel explained.
"My goal as a police officer and what I want to engage in tonight with the community is that you can trust us and what we do. For them to get to know us as their neighborhood police officer," Scranton Police Department Patrolman Luke Walker stated.
Along with the police department, other first responders attended, letting people test out a fire hose and tour an ambulance.
"I love it, it's so fun and entertaining. Also, the police dogs, I love them," Nevaeh Villaun from Scranton said.
"I like it because you get to see everything, you get to volunteer. It's just fun to be down here," Scranton resident Jayden Cottreoo added.
The fun doesn't stop there; kids were also able to enjoy a giant slide and a game of limbo. Scranton police are hoping the event solidified the connection between community members and their officers.
"The people have our backs, we have the people's backs, and together we'll create a safe environment for us to live," Chief Carroll added.
The police department closed out the event with a drone demonstration to mark another successful National Night Out.
