Butler Township Police Department’s recent community outing allowing officers, firefighters and first responders a chance to mingle with citizens is a step in the right direction.

As part of National Night Out, a nationwide effort to promote positive law enforcement/community partnerships, the event gave citizens a chance to get to know police officers, ask questions and perhaps even build relationships.

Unfortunately, most people only encounter the police and other first responders in difficult and trying circumstances. So getting a chance to meet the people behind the badges in a positive, nontraumatic setting is a great opportunity.

Too often, police and the public view each other with suspicion if not outright hostility. Recent well-publicized incidents have only deepened the divide between citizens and the people entrusted to protect them.

The National Night Out, staged in most communities on the first Tuesday in August, is a chance to promote partnerships between the police and the people they serve. Its purpose is to provide events, whether through block parties, safety demonstrations or even just a shared cookout, to build a sense of community and maybe even lessen any divide between the two parties.

During the Aug. 4 event at the Pullman Recreation Complex, local police may have gotten a chance to hear citizens’ concerns about crime and citizens may have learned about the police officers themselves in face-to-face meetings. Collaboration and open lines of communications may even help in the creation of crime prevention strategies. This could lead a safer community for everyone.

Let’s hope that any sense of camaraderie and partnership that may have been fostered between the police and the community can last throughout the year until the next National Night Out.

— EF