All across the country local law enforcement recognized National Night Out, a community building campaign that promotes police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie.
It was a night for local law enforcement and community members of Shiocton to get together, interact and have a little fun, like playing bean bag toss, oversized Jenga or just getting a chance to talk with one another.
“It brings everybody out,” said Shiocton Police Officer and organizer of the event Sara Knapp. “It brings your next-door neighbor, it brings people across town, everybody just comes out. You get a good meal, time to visit and just kind of interact with everybody.”
They provided the grilling out, such as hamburgers, hot dogs and beverages, while members of the community each brought a dish to pass for a potluck dinner.
Fellow Shiocton Police Officer Matt Ninham found himself in an close bean bag toss game with a few of the kids that were there. As a former Community Resource Officer, Officer Ninham is appreciative of this grass roots style approach to get to know community members in a relaxed environment.
“This really helps community members get to know the police officers because underneath this uniform we are fathers, sons, grandsons, mothers, daughters, we’re people underneath,” he said.
There were plenty of things to keep kids and families busy, such as face painting, a bounce house and getting to meet local law enforcement from Shiocton, Outagamie County and the Wisconsin State Patrol.
National Night Out was also recognized in Hortonville, New London and Manawa
#NationalNightOut in #Shiocton. Officer Ninham enjoying a game of bag toss with a few kids. pic.twitter.com/E4UBWogFkX
— TCHDailyNews (@WTCHRadio) August 1, 2017