Dunkirk Police Officer Ryan Thompson hands out balls to community members.
Not all interactions with police or first responders need to take place during times of conflict or danger. On a warm, clear Tuesday night in early August, residents of Dunkirk and Fredonia got a great chance to see it for themselves.
“It’s a beautiful day, the sun is shining, it looked like a lot of people wanted to get out and have a good time” Fredonia Police Officer Ben Kravitz said Tuesday evening.
Dunkirk and Fredonia each hosted a celebration of National Night Out, an event organized by police departments and first responders across the country to promote positive engagement between local departments and their communities.
“The whole point of an event like this is to get the police involved with the community so the young kids realize we’re their friends, we’re not the bad guys. We’re here to help them if they ever need us.” Kravitz said.
The Fredonia event, which started at 5pm at Russell Joy Park, featured plenty of amenities for a crowd that grew as the night wore on.
Fredonia Police Officer Ben Kravitz dances with a child during the National Night Out event Tuesday at Russell Joy Park.
“We had a lot of fun things to do here – some bounce houses for the kids, a DJ, free food – pizza, donuts … and then a bunch of cool cops.” Kravitz said with a smile.
The event was the second of its kind for Fredonia since its return a year ago. Fredonia Mayor Douglas Essek emphasized the importance of the event.
“We look to make sure the community understands that our first responders are part of the community. They can trust and talk to them and trust them.” he said “I look forward to many more years of this continued success.”
The Dunkirk event followed the Fredonia event at 6:30 pm at Washington Park. This Tuesday marked the 29th consecutive year of the event in the city of Dunkirk since its inception.
“This is the 29th year in a row that the city of Dunkirk has hosted this event here in the city. It’s something to be proud of, because not every community has been doing this for so long consecutively.” said Dunkirk Mayor Wilfred Rosas.
Six-year-old Piper Kane gets her face painted at the National Night Out event Tuesday in Fredonia.
Like Mayor Rosas, Dunkirk Police Chief David Ortolano is proud of the event and what it represents for the community his department serves.
“The partnership we have with the community we serve is exceptional,” Ortolano said. “This is a night where our police officers, our firefighters, we can interact with the community in a 100 percent positive way. Usually when you see a police officer, it’s not a good thing, but this is a night where we can interact positively with everyone from our little kids to the seniors here tonight.”
The Dunkirk event featured live music, including an appearance by Mayor Rosas playing the bongo drums, as well as a movie at dusk, free food and drinks, bounce houses for kids to play on and officers of police handing out balls to play with.
“This is a very important event for our community because it gives them an opportunity to interact with our police officers, as well as our firefighters, in another environment. They can interact, meet and get to know each other “, said the rose. “This is a family affair here, not just for the kids, but we encourage the parents to be here, so they can all interact together. … We’re all here together. We’re a community and it’s good to see everyone enjoying themselves together.”
A highlight of the two shared events was the appearance of Mo Sumbundu, a representative of Governor Kathy Hochul’s office, who delivered an official New York State proclamation signed by Hochul recognizing the efforts of the forces of local order and their commitment within their communities.
Five-year-old twins Cora English and Jacob English, along with their mother, Elizabeth English, pose for a photo with Sparky in Fredonia.
“This year we were fortunate to have a representative from the governor’s office, Mo Sumbundu, here with us. I think it’s important to know that the governor and the state of Albany know that we’re hosting this event. The fact that (Governor Hochul) is sending a representative to read a proclamation shows that they are paying attention.” said Mayor Rosas.
While the governor’s office was paying attention to the good work of local police and first responders, so were members of the communities in attendance.
“It’s a good community event. I think having the police department here to support the community and create a safe environment helps a lot. It’s good to have the kids around.” said Elizabeth English, a mother who brought her five-year-old twins, Cora and Jacob, to the National Night Out event in Fredonia. “I think it’s important that my kids grow up respecting and being comfortable with the law, because you never know when they might need (the police) and I want them to be comfortable with getting the help they need.”
Tuesday night for Kravitz, who played a big role in organizing the Fredonia event, was one of the best nights on the job.
“I’d rather do things like this than write entries. I prefer to see those smiles on their faces, it’s a pleasure to see all the children having a good time and their parents enjoying it”. Kravitz said. “I am grateful to have a wonderful community in which to live and work. It’s definitely a blessing to work in a small community like this. It makes the job so much more enjoyable.”
Dunkirk Police Officer Emily Foy hands out balls to children at Dunkirk’s National Night Out event in Washington Park on Tuesday.
Essek, Rosas and Ortolano praised the efforts of their local departments, volunteers and sponsors who helped make the event a success in each community.
“It’s a good night for the community to come together and think about public safety and think about what it takes to make this happen. We’re very lucky to have the community that we do that gets behind us.” Ortolano said. “They support us 100 percent, and in turn, we give them 100 percent back for public safety.”
Pictured are Dunkirk community attendees at Tuesday’s National Night Out event in Washington Park.
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