National Night Out was celebrated Oct. 4 around the country, and the Columbia police and fire departments held an event at Frosty's Sweets & Eats on Main Street for the community.
"National Night Out is an event that we like to participate in to promote community engagement and get to know people in the community," CPD Community Engagement Officer Danielle Barber said. "We love seeing the smiling faces of the children when they get to climb in the Hummer or see a fire truck really close. We would've loved to see more people come out, but we understand that families are busy. We appreciate all of the support, and we would like to send out a special thanks to Frosty's Sweets & Eats on Main Street for joining us. Their sweets are amazing!"
Adults, children and community leaders, including Justice Court Judge Brandon Rowell, attended the celebration where they were able to see the CPD's Hummer, mingle with officers and firefighters and meet Oved Dunaway's adorable future police K-9. Barber estimates 50 to 75 people attended the event.
"I think community involvement with the Columbia Police Department is a wonderful thing for our youth. Anything we can do to keep them busy and to develop a rapport with law enforcement is exactly what the youth and this community need," Rowell said.
National Night Out was originally developed in 1984 by the National Association of Town Watch as a crime prevention program that emphasized building a partnership between the police and the community.
