Meeting the police in the park

Mantua hosted its second annual Police in the Park event in Chestnut Branch Park on Sept. 18, with hundreds of people celebrating the work of the township force.

The event – designed to be the community’s version of National Night Out – gave residents a chance to learn about the police department and meet some of its officers. It also included a K-9 demonstration, live music from the band Three of a Kind and fireworks to close out the evening.

The event opened with a brief speech from Mayor Robert Zimmerman that was followed by a trumpet performance of the national anthem by Clearview Regional High School student Joanna Green.

“It’s a great opportunity to all our residents to see our police officers in a different light, out of the uniform,” Zimmerman explained. “Many times police are seen (by) young kids … when they’re called out for police-related matters – whether it’s a burglary to a house, a domestic-related incident – and it’s typically not a good sense.

“This humanizes them (officers), puts them out there in plainclothes, allows them to interact with the residents in a different capacity, and it’s a positive thing for our community.”

Other law-enforcement agencies at the event included the FBI, the Gloucester County Sheriff’s Office and nearby departments.

“(Mantua) Capt. (Bill) Murphy invites us every year,” said Chris Troughton of the Deptford police. “This is my second year personally. It’s nice. It’s like a riff on National Night Out, but the police get their own section.”

County commissioners Jim Jefferson and Tom Bianco were also in attendance and the Mantua fire department and county EMTs had stations set up.

The event was a joint effort by the township committee, the police, Murphy and the recreation committee. Police Chief Darren White briefly addressed the crowd.

“I just want to thank everybody for coming out,” he said. “Especially our law-enforcement partners stationed over here, as well as our sponsors.”