Thousands of Tinley Park area families descended on Freedom Park Tuesday night for a chance to meet the men and women of local emergency services at the annual National Night Out.
The event always proves a hit with the littlest ones and this year’s Night Out, now in its fourth decade, was no different.
Lincoln Rosenhagen, 4 1/2, eagerly clambered into the driver’s seat of a Tinley Park emergency management vehicle for a go at the horn, though it took a few tries to provide the force needed to sound the thing.
Still, his mother Rachel said her son’s favorite part of the event is visiting all the emergency vehicles.
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“He loves it,” she said. “He always has a lot of fun.”
This is the family’s third year attending National Night Out, and Rachel said this year her son is beginning to understand the different roles of the emergency services. Her son just finished up a section about calling 911 and emergencies in pre-school, so the event was particularly appropriate.
“He’s been asking what everything is,” she said.
One of the longer lines was near the mutual aid response team tables, where an array of heavy tactical gear was on display, including weapons body armor, helmets and everything else anyone might need when trying to quell civil unrest.
Officer Jake Thompson of the mutual aid response team was on hand with the riot gear, ready to deploy it on the line of curious kids like Johnny Kahr, 5. Kahr got the armor and the helmet and immediately flashed a grin and gave two thumbs up.
“He wants to be a policeman when he’s older,” explained his mom, Amy.
Thompson said he understands why the gear is attractive to children. It’s everywhere on TV and movies and, sometimes, on the news, but it’s not often on their bodies.
“I think it’s getting to see it first hand,” he said.
This sort of interaction is the point of National Night Out. Started in 1984, the night began as a way to build community and interface with law enforcement and other first responders. Decades later, Tinley Park police Chief Thomas Tilton said the night still serves its purpose and he’s happy to organize it.
“It’s a really good way for us to interact with our residents,” Tilton said. “And not just us, all the people involved in the safety of Tinley Park.”
He estimated the crowd in the thousands, with residents returning year after year with their kids.
“We’re thrilled to have this,” Tilton said. “It’s a testament to the amount of support we get from the Tinley Park community and it’s a great way for us to show how much we support them.”
He said it’s also testament to the good work of Officer Dina Navis, who organizes the event.
“We’ve won a national award for this for the last 17 years,” Tilton said.
Jesse Wright is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.