The event will take place on Memorial Field behind the Cherry Hill Municipal Building from 6 to 8 p.m.
Residents have a chance to learn what the Cherry Hill Police Department is all about on Tuesday, Aug. 2.
Cherry Hill Police, the Cherry Hill Recreation Department and the Cherry Hill Alliance on Alcohol and Drug Abuse are sponsoring National Night Out on Aug. 2. The event will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. at Memorial Field behind the municipal building.
The last few years, the Cherry Hill Police Department has put an emphasis on community policing and building a bond with the community. The last couple years, the police department and township have paired National Night Out with one of the Music Under the Stars concerts at Barclay Farmstead. This year, National Night Out will be its own event.
“We want to try and bring the community and the police together and give another opportunity for people to find out who we are,” Cherry Hill Chief of Police William Monaghan said.
National Night Out is a nationwide event held annually on the first Tuesday of August. The event’s goal is to build a stronger police-community partnership and create neighborhood camaraderie to make towns safer places to live.
Cherry Hill’s National Night Out will include a lot of activities and demonstrations highlighting the inner workings of the police department. The event will include a demonstration from the police department’s K-9 unit, a display of various Cherry Hill police vehicles, a tour of the police’s command post and the police’s impaired driving simulation course.
Kids will have the chance to bring their bikes to the event and participate in a bike rodeo. Anyone who takes part in the rodeo will be entered into a raffle to win a free bike. Kids will also receive a free bike helmet at the event.
Monaghan said it was important to make National Night Out not just an event for the police department, but an event where various organizations participate and meet with members of the community.
“There will be fire trucks on display,” Monaghan said. “Some community groups will be there for information on what they offer.”
The police department has participated in a number of community events in recent years. Last October, the police were a large part of Cherry Hill Township Harvest Festival. Residents who donated non-perishable food to the Cherry Hill Food Pantry got the chance to throw a ball at the dunk tank. Members of the Cherry Hill Police Department took turns sitting in the dunk tank throughout the day. Monaghan said he received lots of positive feedback from officers who participated in the event.
“It was enjoyable experience, both for the officers and the people who came out,” Monaghan said.
To help promote National Night Out, the police department will be sending out flyers to civic associations across town. In addition, community and religious leaders across the township are planning to help promote the event.
National Night Out is free and open to the public. For more information or for a full list of activities, visit the event’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/events/1613792975578969.
