An otherwise rainy day Tuesday cleared up just in time for the Lincolnwood Police Department to host its inaugural National Night Out, which officials said was intended to promote communication between residents and officers.
“Tonight’s event is about unity amongst our first responders nationally across the country and I think it brings community and police and first responders together – so you know who is out there and who you’re connecting with and communicate with to better serve our village,” said mayor Barry Bass.
The event was held in Proesel Park, with popcorn, face-painting, balloon animals, a bouncy house for kids to jump around in and many families mingling with officers. Though attendance looked questionable at the start of the evening, people filed into the park as the sky cleared up shortly after 6 p.m.
While communities nationwide participate in the crime-awareness community gathering, including surrounding communities such as Evanston, Skokie, Niles and Morton Grove, this year was Lincolnwood’s first time participating in the national event that has been going on for 35 years.
Some in attendance were friends and family of local police officers, while others said they heard about the first-ever Lincolnwood event from friends, on social media or through the village’s news releases and a video announcement police Chief Jay Parrott released in advance of the event.
Bass added Tuesday that Lincolnwood’s National Night Out was “educational for those who come out and want to know who your firefighters and police officers are and who are driving in cars throughout the night that you may not get to see one-on-one.”
National Night Out was created by the National Association of Town Watch, a nonprofit organization dedicated to developing and promoting crime prevention programs including neighborhood watch groups, law enforcement agencies, state and regional crime prevention associations, businesses, civic groups and those invested in safer communities, according to the organization’s website.
The first National Night Out in 1984 drew 2.5 million Americans across 400 communities in 23 states, but the event continued to grow every year across the country, according to founding organization officials.
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Along with officers, the police chief was at National Night Out mingling with residents. Parrott left it up to residents to comment on the importance of the outreach.
Bevy Bonjoc, a Lincolnwood resident of nearly three years, said she attended Tuesday because a friend told her about it.
“The goal of the event is very good,” she said. “It’s good to communicate with the residents here in Lincolnwood.”
Bonjoc said she believes the Lincolnwood Police Department has a positive relationship with residents. She has four children and said she sees officers interact well with children in the village.
Leah Brennan has lived in Lincolnwood for nine years. She says her feelings about the police department’s interactions in the village are related to how they interact with children.
“I think it’s a good thing for my son to see the police and the firefighters and experience them in an environment like this, where it’s welcoming and friendly,” Brennan said Tuesday. “I think it’s a great idea that Lincolnwood is doing that and having kid-friendly stuff, and that’s really important.”
Victor Shaw, said police need to know the community and the people that they serve — to know them as people.
“It’s key for them to get out of their car and do events like this. That’s the problem with a lot of them, they don’t get out of their car. I hope they do this event every year,” said Shaw, a 16-year Lincolnwood resident.
Though the relationship between officers and the public in the village needs improvement, Shaw said, the department’s relationship with the public seems to be about the same as that of neighboring communities.
Local business owner and Lincolnwood Traffic Commission member Antonio Costantino — who has lived in the village for 26 years — said he believes events like National Night Out are necessary to improve communication.
“Sometimes the residents of the neighborhood see more than the police do, so that communication is important,” he said. “And if everyone is respecting the ordinances and everything, then the neighborhood becomes more attractive to everybody.”
Bass also said he believes increased communication and awareness within the village are important factors for safety.
“The types of crime that are coming through the village are very opportunistic and it’s vital that the public does not hesitate to report anything they see,” he said. “Safety is the number one priority. We’re a small village and at least because of our size and demographic, we can achieve that safety.”
Parrott said previously the annual event is symbolic of uniting the community and the police to spread awareness of how to make the community safer.
While Parrott — who was installed as the village’s top cop earlier this year — believes the Lincolnwood community and its police department have a strong rapport, he has noted the importance of building upon the communication that already exists in order to further fight crime in the village.
“Just because you have it, doesn’t mean you always sustain it, so you always have to keep working to make sure there’s an open dialogue so there’s that comfort level of people sharing information with the police,” the chief said previously.