Starkville Police Department is welcoming the community to join it at the Sportsplex this evening for its third annual National Night Out on Crime.
SPD Lt. Henry Stewart said the event is set to start at 7 p.m. in the Travis Outlaw Center at the Sportsplex. He said it should last until about 10 p.m.
“The basis of it is that we are getting together as a community to show awareness to crime and saying that we say no to crime,” Stewart said. “We’re going to celebrate throughout the community with partners and leaders to show that we’re a community that will say no to crime and fight crime.”
National Night Out is a country-wide campaign that promotes stronger relationships between police departments and their communities. The national event is set for the first Tuesday in August, though individual departments can hold them at different dates.
Stewart said this evening’s event is free and open to the public and SPD will give away about 300 free National Night Out T-shirts. He also said the event will have food such as hot dogs, hamburgers and chips, and a snow cone truck will give away snow cones.
A range of community organizations, such as Habitat for Humanity, Community Counseling, the Department of Rehabilitation Services and others will be at the event as well. Stewart said it will also feature a school supply drive, sponsored by the local Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.
SPD Public Information Officer Brandon Lovelady said National Night Out is a chance for SPD to strengthen its ties with the community.
“National Night Out is a great event designed to bridge the police-community gap,” Lovelady said. “At the Starkville Police Department, we take pride in our community and are continuing to take steps to ensure we build lasting partnerships.”
Alex Holloway was formerly a reporter with The Dispatch.
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