As a hot summer afternoon turned into a hot summer evening, members of the Cranbury Police Department found themselves in Village Park on Aug. 7 with members of the community they serve.
The lights on a police vehicle were flashing, but there was no emergency, just plenty of music and food at an event to bring the community and law enforcement together. National Night Out, celebrated in towns around the country, came back to Cranbury for a fifth year in a row.
Police were out in full force, with every member of the department present, said Police Officer Michael Cipriano, who helped to organize the event.
In one corner of the park, Lt. Giuseppe DeChiara was serving hamburgers and other free treats from inside a food truck, as customers, old and young, came looking for a bite to eat. Children worked on their cups or cones of ice cream or ice pops when they weren’t playing, running around or posing for pictures on a fire truck.
At a time when there have been tensions nationally between police and some communities, events like this are intended to foster positive interactions between law enforcement and the public. Towns across the state were having similar outdoor parties.
“In today’s day and age, it means a lot to have this level of support from the community,” Cipriano said.
The former chief of the police department, Harry Kleinkauf, who attended National Night Out, agreed.
“I think it’s phenomenal,” said Kleinkauf, as he worked on a cheeseburger. He called the event “one of the best things that could happen to promote unity” with the public.
Scheduled to last three hours, National Night Out was sponsored locally by the Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge 68, of which Cipriano is the president, and the township. That meant for the public, all the food, ice cream and children’s entertainment came at no cost. “DJ Reggie,” a staple of the event, had the children dancing and getting worked up, as their parents watched.
Cipriano estimated the crowd size at close to 300 people. Fellow Police Officer Doug Mayer, a vice president of the police union, said the turnout for National Night Out has been steady every year.
This year, a new item at the event included a food truck, where DeChiara was passing out hamburgers and slices of pizza.
Police Chief Rickey Varga, who was on hand for part of the evening, called it a “fantastic event” that brings the community together.
