BY KADIE VICK
THE LAFAYETTE SUN
LANETT — The Lanett Police Department is hosting its first National Night Out since 2005 on Aug. 5 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the WO Lance playground.
“National Night Out is an annual community campaign throughout the entire United States and military bases,” said Lanett Chief of Police Denise McCain. “Lanett has not hosted a National Night Out since 2005, and we confirmed this through one of our secretaries, Shirley Greenwood. So, I looked into it and registered the Lanett Police Department. I started putting things together to make this successful here in our city.”
McCain said that the National Night Out will create a connection between community members and local police, as well as provide free school supplies for local students.
“It will build a partnership in our neighborhood and camaraderie between our neighborhood watch groups and our children, because National Night Out is especially for the children,” she said. “We’re going to provide fingerprint cards, school supplies and organizations are bringing uniforms, and it’s all going to be free.”
At the Lanett National Night Out, local children will also have the opportunity to meet those employed by the Lanett Police Department, along with representatives from many local churches.
“They get to meet all the officers, because every single officer will be there, present at this event, and every single employee at the City Police Department,” McCain said. “We will also have a lot of our local churches who will be there. Kids nowadays don’t go to church, and we want to bring that back; also, they will be giving out free school supplies.”
The free school supplies that will be available to local children at the National Night Out will be donated by the churches and other booths at the event.
“The school supplies are being donated, and each booth is responsible for supplying something, whether it’s pencils, paper folders, spiral notebooks or book bags,” McCain said. “Some are giving out everything. We’re pretty much letting everybody give out what they want to donate to the citizens, if it falls on the school supply list.”
McCain said that at the National Night Out, community members can also connect with local resources that they might not know about otherwise.
“The neighborhood communities should attend, because there’s going to be so many events, safety demonstrations, health seminars, youth events and exhibits,” she said. “Not only that, but it also brings people to services at the City of Lanett that they’re not aware that we have here.”
McCain said that she wants community members to attend the Lanett National Night Out because she wants locals to know the Lanett Police Officers, and for everyone to have a fun time.
“I want them to know the officers who serve and protect them,” she said. “We’re going to have a dunking booth where they can dunk the officer of their choice. We’re still gathering other stuff, other events to do. But we’re also going to have a fun tug-of-war with the fire department, fire versus police.”
