Joliet-area police to connect with community on National Night Out

National Night Out is Tuesday, providing another annual opportunity for police and citizens to mingle in a casual setting.

The event provides a family-friendly atmosphere with events for local youth and opportunities to mingle with police in a casual setting.

“It just offers that nice, open, welcoming environment where police officers and our citizens can have a casual conversation,” said Sgt. Dwayne English, spokesman for the Joliet Police Department.

English said Joliet police typically see about a thousand people at its Night Out events.

Night Out offers a unique opportunity for police and people to meet without the constraints that come with a crime scene.

“We hear often from these events that people say this is the first time that they had an interaction with a police officer that did not involve them in some sort of law enforcement capacity,” English said. “That type of face-to-face interaction is very hard to replicate in an official law enforcement setting.”

Joliet

Night Out is 5 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at Memorial Stadium, 3000 W. Jefferson St.

The Joliet Police Department will be represented by officers from the Neighborhood Oriented Policing Team, patrol division, K9 unit and recruitment team.

The event includes a touch-a-truck, ID cards for children, backpack giveaways sponsored by Target and a visit with dogs from the police K9 unit.

Food vendors, bicycle giveaways for children, and Ring doorbell camera raffles also will be part of the event.

Crest Hill

While Crest Hill does host a “Night Out” event with its police department, the event is a few weeks later.

According to the city’s Facebook page, the annual Crest Hill “Neighbor’s Night Out” will be Sept. 4 at the Crest Hill City Center, 20590 City Center Blvd. The event will run from 5 to 8 p.m. and include free food, drinks and entertainment.

Lockport

The city of Lockport’s 10th annual National Night Out event will take place on Aug. 14 at Central Square, 222 E. 9th Street.

The event, dedicated to making neighborhoods safer and promoting police-community partnerships, will run from 6 to 8 p.m. and will include music, food from Smokin’ Z BBQ food truck, inflatables, touch-a-truck, face painting, raffles and entertainment from Crosstown Exotics reptile and bug show and from Legacy Adventure Park/Hell’s Gate.

New Lenox

New Lenox will host its National Night Out event from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday in the Village Commons, located at 145-199 Veterans Pkwy.

“The event will include plenty of entertainment and activities as well as free food and treats,” the village said on its website. Activities include “bounce houses, live music, vendor tables, giveaways, and much more,” according to the website.

“Each community celebrates National Night Out in their own unique ways, and the New Lenox Police Department takes part by offering a free event in the Village Commons for all to attend,” the village statement said.

Plainfield

The Plainfield Police Department will host its National Night Out event from 5 to 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday at Settlers’ Park, 24401 Lockport St.

The event will include free food, “music and demos,” a local business expo, bounce houses, a touch-a-truck and multiple “giveaways and prizes,” according to the Plainfield police Facebook page.

The National Night Out event will be held in conjunction with Plainfield’s weekly Cruise Night.

Shorewood

Shorewood is holding its annual Crossroads Festival through the weekend, which is one reason officials may have decided to delay the Night Out event until September.

Night Out will be noon to 3 p.m. on Sept. 27, which is a Saturday, and feature a number of attractions, including Touch-a-Truck, inflatables, face painting and a foam machine.

And, “We’re going to have live entertainment this year,” said Kasey Heddins, coordinator of Night Out for the Shorewood Police Department.

Country music performer Billy Gray will be at Night Out.