Thousands of people mingled with police officers, firefighters, and EMS personnel Tuesday night as part of National Night Out events throughout Southwest Michigan.
The events are organized by police agencies each year as a way to build relationships with the communities they serve.
In Benton Harbor, more than 1,000 backpacks stuffed with school supplies were given out to families at Dwight P. Mitchell City Center Park as part of the fun. Benton Harbor Department of Public Safety Director Dan McGinnis told us it felt great to see so many smiling faces.
“Last year, we gave away 1,098 backpacks and over 1,000 snow cones, and we anticipate doing the same this year,” McGinnis said. “So this is a great community event, family event, public safety event. It’s just amazing. And of course, I’ve gotten dunked for an hour in a dunk tank. So it’s just beautiful.”
In St. Joseph, the crowd gathered at Maiden Lane Community Park. We asked St. Joseph Township Police Officer Josh Allen what the kids seemed to enjoy the most.
“Oh, that’s a toughie because I think some kids like the ice cream. Other kids like the fire trucks, the police cars and the helicopters. And I think some kids just like to come out and play on the playground. So I would say it’s a combination of all three.”
Those who attended Night Out events got to see demonstrations of emergency response vehicles and equipment, have some hotdogs, and play games. In St. Joe, the U.S. Coast Guard was on hand for the first time in a few years.
In Benton Harbor, organizations like Present Pillars, the Boys and Girls Clubs, and Corewell Health offered information on programming and services.
