National Night Out Against Crime

There are memorable moments in every community event. At this year's National Night Out on Aug. 5, 2008, that moment for me was meeting three future recruits for the Blue Springs Police Department.

A BSPD bicycle officer was providing honorary “badges” to three smiling 8- to 10-year-old boys, and introduced them to me. I called them to attention, received smart salutes and welcomed them to the force. Of course, it will be about 15 years before they will be able to report to work, but the connection with our future is very important and I see positive relationships with our youth occurring on many levels.

NNO is a national event when many communities hold events to highlight the importance of working in partnership with the police to make their communities safe. Having experienced multiple events in Virginia and Ohio, I can safely say that the Blue Springs event under the coordination of Lt. John Kingsolver is the best I have attended. 

The 2008 theme for the 10th annual Blue Springs Police Department National Night Out event was “Community Togetherness for a Crime Free Tomorrow.” With participation from area business, government and youth organizations – not to mention great weather – attendance reached the thousands.   

New this year was a business “scavenger hunt” with five winners. Participants gathered crime prevention clues from various businesses and submitted the answers, with winners drawn randomly from all successful entries.

Mayor Carson Ross and State Rep. Gary Dusenburg spoke to the crowd and issued proclamations on behalf of crime prevention activities. A booth for community leaders to be available for direct public contact added to the information available to attendees. Local talent on stage, K-9 demonstrations, LifeFlight helicopter, and the dunking booth were favorites.

The challenge facing our community is to take that enthusiasm and level of involvement out to our neighborhoods.  By watching out for each other, taking the initiative to call the police department when suspicious activity is seen, and by securing vehicles and other property, we can help make Blue Springs even safer than it is today.