Moorestown’s annual National Night Out, hosted by the township’s police and fire departments, will be held at Wesley Bishop Fields at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 4. The free event, initiated by Director of Police Patrick Reilly three years ago, is a 100% donation driven event that is spearheaded by Patrol Sgt. Dennis Chesney and the police department’s Community Policing Unit, a group that focuses on public outreach, safety awareness and crime prevention.
National Night Out enhances the relationship between neighbors and law enforcement while bringing back a true sense of community. It also provides a great opportunity to bring police and neighbors together under positive circumstances. The campaign dates back to 1894, and was introduced through an already established network of law enforcement agencies, neighborhood watch groups, civic groups, state and regional crime prevention associations and volunteers across the nation. The goal is to promote police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie to make neighborhoods safer, according to the campaign website.
Moorestown’s National Night Out will include free food and drinks, music, face painting, inflatables, emergency vehicles on display, a police versus fire department tug-of-war, ice cream, bounce houses, a dunk tank, K-9 demonstrations, a drone demonstration and more. To enhance this year’s experience for attendees, police weapons and gear will be laid out – supervised – so people can see what the officers work with. Township firefighters, police officers and EMTs will be participating in the different activities and a United States Army Black Hawk helicopter landing is expected to also take place.
“National Night Out is (made) to increase relationships and get face time with the community outside of calls for service,” Chesney said, who was happy with how last year’s event went, given that it’s a big undertaking. “After last year and seeing how many people showed up (close to 400), it allows citizens and children to approach and speak with their township’s emergency personnel.”
Community members may typically only see their emergency personnel on the worst day of their life, Chesney said, so National Night Out allows the opportunity for people to approach their local police officers, firefighters and EMTs and strike up a conversation to see what’s going on and get to meet and know a lot of the people who take care of them and the township.
Chesney has been with the Moorestown Police Department for 11 years and because he loves the township so much, he’ll never leave his job. His father was a police officer for Cinnaminson before he retired after 30 years, so growing up around that and seeing the impact that his father had on the community inspired Chesney to eventually work in law enforcement. Putting on an event like National Night Out gives Chesney a sense of pride, to say the least.
“I want everyone to have a fun, safe time with their families, and take the time to meet and talk with our first responders to build better relationships for the future,” Chesney said.
For updates on National Night Out, visit the police department’s social media.
Moorestown’s National Night Out on Aug. 4 will feature free food and drinks, music, a drone demonstration, family activities, and, as always, K-9 demos.
