National Night Out brings communities together

National Night Out is a community-building campaign to promote partnerships and positive relationships between police departments and the communities they serve. On the first Tuesday in October in some states and the first Tuesday in August in others, events are planned nationwide to build the relationships between neighbors and law enforcement for a true sense of community. 

Quite often, police/community interactions are under less than ideal circumstances—disasters, crime, etc. The Night Out events help counter the potential sense of negativity by bringing law enforcement and neighborhoods together under positive circumstances. Locally, events were hosted by the Kimberling City Police Department and the Branson Police Department on Tuesday evening, October 7. 

The Kimberling City National Night Out was held at Our Lady of the Cove Catholic Church and featured a cookout, live music by the Resurrection Band, and the opportunity to get acquainted with police officers and other first responders as well as a variety of community organizations on hand to share resources. Attendees also enjoyed watching K9 Officers Zesta and Sig as their handlers, Officers Kreigel and Walker, led the dogs through demonstrations including alerting on controlled substances and finding concealed objects. 

Chief Todd Lemoine took the mic to greet attendees and share some departmental updates, including grant funding for equipment upgrades. He also thanked the Kimberling City Elks and Veterans of the Ozarks for their fundraising efforts to help with the costs of training and other expenses for the K9s. He reminded those present that the department values communication, and encouraged residents to take advantage of Thursday coffee meetings, other public police committee meetings and the department’s regular social media presence to keep residents informed. 

In Branson, police officers and members of the Branson Fire Department rotated among nine different neighborhood Night Out parties held across Branson, with positive comments heard indicating the opportunity for interaction was appreciated by those attending. 

Both Kimberling City and Branson also offer opportunities for volunteers to receive training and serve as additional community support at special events or during emergencies. Reach out to the departments for more information about Volunteers in Police Service (VIPS) in Kimberling City or Branson’s Community Emergency Response Team (CERT). 

The Globe wishes to thank these and other area law enforcement and first responders for their service and dedication. By working together and getting to know one another, we can all help make our communities safer and more enjoyable places to live!