Maine Township National Night Out included farm animals, food collection for community food pantry
The township National Night Out Against Crime event took place Aug. 5 at Dee Park in unincorporated Des Plaines. It was among many events presented on the first Tuesday in August across the country for the annual campaign aimed at promoting police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie.
Maine Township Clerk Peter Gialamas told Pioneer Press the celebration was coordinated with the Cook County sheriff's office, the Niles-based Golf Maine Park District and the Des Plaines-based North Maine Fire Protection District.
'One of the goals of National Night Out is to really bring the community and the local law enforcement together, and we've found that National Night Out does a great job of that,' said Gialamas who has chaired Maine Township's National Night Out committee for about 12 years.
According to the township website, the NNO theme this year was, 'From Patrols to Partnerships, We Are In This Together.'
The night offered games, entertainment, raffle prizes, activities, demos, JG's Reptile Road Show, a petting zoo, popcorn, popsicles, representatives from Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge and a safety walk.
'They get to see the police officers that are patrolling the streets on a daily basis, get to talk to them, get to see the vehicles that we use, and it really is a great way for the community to interact,' Gialamas said.
Penny Mateck, from the sheriff's community relations unit, told Pioneer Press the partnership to bring National Night Out to Maine Township goes back more than 30 years.
'We want the community to feel safe. We want them to feel comfortable coming to us with questions or whatever their concerns may be,' Mateck said. 'This is a really great way in a non-enforcement kind of event to connect with the community and let them know who we are.'
According to Mateck, the sheriff's office offered activities such as 911 trivia as a teaching element especially for younger children and brought out vehicles including those used by the bomb unit, police and the Special Weapons and Tactics, or SWAT, team.
'The kids can sit in the squad cars. They can sit where the police sit. They can sit in the back seat where bad guys sit,' Mateck said about how the community is engaged. 'For some reason, the kids like to sit in the back seat and check that out.'
Mateck said the sheriff's office also brings one of its bomb-sniffing canine officers and some of its partner agencies bringing their K-9s.
'We're out here every year on the first Tuesday of August and it's a time where the police and the community can come together,' Mateck said. 'It's really in an effort to keep the community safe and fight crime.'
The event also featured the 'Stuff the Squad' fundraising effort, which Mateck said accepts grocery donations for the Maine Township food pantry that is located in Park Ridge.
'A lot of times donations are low, so this is a way to try to help them through the summer months,' Mateck said.
Maine Township includes parts of Des Plaines, Park Ridge, Niles, Glenview, Morton Grove and Rosemont.
According to Maine Township's website, National Night Out, which also was sponsored by Neighborhood Watch and community businesses,
Gialamas said NNO is part of an effort to educate residents on crime prevention and safety.
'It's very important that they trust the law officers that are patrolling the streets,' Gialamas said. 'Especially the young kids, if they can see them, meet them and understand they're here to help them, that is just something that continues to grow and builds trust in the community.'
Mateck explained that the police and the community collaborate to combat crime.
'The community is really the eyes and ears for the police department,' Mateck said. 'They will call the police when they see something suspicious. They will tell us things that help solve crime so that partnership is really important because they're really the other portion of the team that works together to keep the community safe.'
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