Hopewell Township police: ‘We look forward to seeing you’

Hopewell Valley residents will have to wait one more week for National Night Out as thunderstorms have postponed the annual event.

Originally, the annual event which seeks to strengthen the bonds between the police and community was scheduled to take place on Aug. 6 at Stony Brook Elementary School in Pennington. Now it’s set for Aug. 13.

“We look forward to seeing you there for a fun and safe community event,” the Hopewell Township Police Department wrote on their Facebook page.

The annual event is organized by the Hopewell Township Policemen Benevolent Association (PBA) Local 342 and the police department. Pennington Police Department joins the township police department, along with Hopewell Valley emergency services, Hopewell Township Public works and local fire companies such as Union Fire Company & Rescue Squad.

Residents and visitors throughout the evening are able to explore emergency service vehicles and fire trucks, have their faces painted, children can play in a bounce house, people are able to dunk an officer in the dunk tank, play cornhole, and play games in a video game trailer.

There will be music, food, and the ability for people to meet their local law enforcement up close and personal in a fun environment.

Hopewell Township, Pennington, and Hopewell Borough joins 17,000 other communities and their local law enforcement nationwide celebrating National Night Out in August.

National Night Out was introduced nationally in 1984 and is an annual community building campaign that was created to make communities safer and build trust between communities and their police departments, according to the National Association of Town Watch.

This is the 41st year of the campaign, which had millions of people participate and attend across all 50 states. Local communities either hosted block parties, parades, and cookouts to celebrate the community event.

The National Association of Town Watch sponsors the annual nationwide event that is also celebrated in U.S. territories and on military bases worldwide with a goal to establish stronger relationships and camaraderie between officers and the communities they serve.