KPD set to host annual National Night Out event

Kim Dunlap, Kokomo Tribune, Ind.
·2 min read

Jul. 31—Howard County residents are encouraged to join millions around the country next week in celebrating National Night Out, a crime and drug prevention event and initiative.

National Night Out began in 1984 with an emphasis on generating community support in anticrime efforts and strengthening relations between community members and law enforcement, according to event organizers, and the Kokomo Police Department has held the event locally for several years now.

On Tuesday, the community is invited to come to Foster Park (near the Senior Center) from 4-6 p.m., where KPD will be on hand to cook hot dogs, hand out water and interact with the public, according to a department media release.

AT&T and the United States Air Force local recruiting station will also be on site, per the release.

If you can't make it to Foster Park, officers will also be at the Garden Square Apartments, 800 E. Hoffer St., from 4:30-5:30 p.m., in connection with their Back to School Bash.

Along with food at both locations, KPD will also be raffling off a boy's and girl's bicycle.

Those raffle tickets are free, the release noted, and they will be available at either Foster Park or Garden Square Apartments throughout the National Night Out event.

National Night Out ends with the annual "Bash at the Beach," where residents are invited to freely swim at the Kokomo Beach Family Aquatic Center, 824 W. Park Ave. from 6-8 p.m.

KPD Sgt. Neil Marcus is one of the department's organizers of this year's National Night Out event, and he said Tuesday is just part of the ongoing dialogue that's so critical between a community and its law enforcement agencies.

"We can't always solve crimes on our own," he told the Tribune. "It takes everybody working together. It's about law enforcement working with the citizens to help make Kokomo a safer place and solve crimes and issues with the city. So we need everybody on board."

If you are unable to attend this year's National Night Out but still wish to share or request information on KPD's various crime prevention activities — or to establish a Crime Watch in your area — you can contact the department's Crime Prevention Unit at 765-456-7333. You can also email Sgt. Marcus at nmarcus@cityofkokomo.org or contact KPD's Hotline at 765-456-7017.