Berks County officers, emergency personnel gear up for National Night Out

Aug. 01--Police officers in some Berks County communities and thousands of others throughout the nation will mingle with residents Tuesday to observe National Night Out.

In some communities, including Spring Township and West Reading, residents are annually invited the first Tuesday in August to National Night Out parties at a swim club hosted by their police departments, with free entertainment and displays of equipment by local first responders.

K-9 team demonstrations and appearances by mascots like McGruff the Crime Dog are among the highlights.

They're the kind of relationship-building activities that many people are calling for to promote police-community partnerships, especially in light of the negative attention given to controversial shootings by police.

But National Night Out is not a recent initiative.

It was started in the mid-1980s by the National Association of Town Watch as a way to build partnerships between police and the citizens they serve.

In the early days, residents were simply asked to keep their front porch lights on and talk to their neighbors to show unity against crime.

"We think it's very important, one of the few events of this kind that we offer," Spring Township Police Chief Bryan D. Ross said.

Last year's event at Lincoln Park Pool drew more than 1,600 people, he said, with involvement by more than 40 agencies, including Western Berks Ambulance, Berks Women in Crisis and Greater Berks Food Bank. It earned the department another award from the National Association of Town Watch, he said.

This year's event, the 14th in a row, runs from 5 to 9 p.m. and includes free use of the Lincoln Park Pool.

The Muhlenberg Township Police Department, which modeled its Night Out program on Spring's event, will be taking a break from hosting a community pool party this year, Chief Erik P. Grunzig said.

Last year's event, which included free hot dogs and pizza, drew more than 1,000 people to the South Temple Pool.

But the department lost that venue when the Muhlenberg Swimming Association, which owns the membership-based pool at 201 Darby Ave., could not open the facility due to financial problems.

The 3.7-acre property will be offered in a tax sale scheduled for Sept. 23, an official at the Berks County Tax Claim Bureau said Friday.

Grunzig said organizers of the event had the impression the pool would open this summer once it settled its debt, but that never happened, and with other demands on its department personnel, it was too late to find a suitable replacement venue.

"Unfortunately, just with the chain of events and things that took place, we ultimately made a decision that we'll take a break this year," Grunzig said.

Muhlenberg is exploring other venues, including Laurel Run Swimming Association, for next year, he said, but nothing has been decided.

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Steven Henshaw -- Reporter

Reporter Steven Henshaw covers the police and crime beat for the Reading Eagle.

Phone: 610-371-5028

Email: shenshaw@readingeagle.com

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