Residents gather at a National Night Out event in 2016 in Dennis Port.
DENNIS PORT – A handful of Cape Cod police departments will once again participate in National Night Out on Tuesday.
The initiative strives to build relationships between the public and the police departments who serve them to make neighborhoods and communities safer.
Events are scheduled in several towns, including Dennis, Yarmouth and Falmouth.
In Dennis, the equipment from several federal, state and local agencies will be on display, along with food and a concert.
“It’s community building,” said Ryan Carr, a community police offer with the Dennis Police Department. “The cops come out and meet the community we serve. It’s stress-free – hang out and talk, hopefully talk civilly, and just share thoughts and ideas on how can we all work together.”
National Night Out events provide several activities for children.
“We reach out to the kids too,” Carr said. “Try to get them to see that we are not the boogeyman and let them sit in the car and take pictures.”
Carr said the department wants to build relationships with children to let them know that they won’t be taken to jail if they don’t listen to their parents and that officers are here to help them if they are ever in trouble.
“I think we’ve done a pretty good job over the past couple of years getting that point across,” Carr said.
Dennis Community Police Officer Liz Tucker says it’s about taking that first step for the officers.
“Just come have a conservation with us. Come see the equipment that we drive. See how cool this job really is and what we are really here for,” Tucker said. “And have some fun while you are doing it.”
This year marks the 17th anniversary of the National Night Out celebration in Dennis.
“We try to incorporate more and more groups,” Carr said. “We outgrew the police station.”
The event will be held in Dennis Port on Hall Street from 4 to 7 p.m. The street will be closed to traffic from 2 to 8 p.m.
In Yarmouth, a National Night Out event will be held from 5 to 7:30 p.m. at Simpkins Field in South Yarmouth.
The event will include demonstrations from the K-9 unit and SWAT Team.
The Yarmouth Fire Department and Department of Natural Resources will be on hand to show off equipment and answer any safety questions from residents.
Representatives from Children’s Cove, The Cape & Islands Child Advocacy Center, which provides programs and services to child victims of sexual or domestic violence, will be available to answer questions about child safety.
Free face painting will also be available, along with pizza.
Falmouth police will provide station tours, a K-9 demonstration and equipment displays.
The event will also include a “Dunk-a-Cop” dunk tank and activities for children, including face painting, along with free food, beverages and ice cream.
Representatives will also be on hand from the Barnstable County Sheriff’s Dept, Falmouth Fire Dept., Falmouth Department of Public Works, Children’s Cove, Falmouth Prevention Partnership, Gosnold of Cape Cod, and the Falmouth Senior Center.
The Falmouth event from 6 to 8 p.m. at police headquarters.
By BRIAN MERCHANT, CapeCod.com NewsCenter
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